17 migrants found dead in boat off Greek coast

At least 17 migrants and asylum seekers have been found dead in a capsized boat off the Greek island of Crete, the country's coast guard said.

The bodies of at least 17 migrants and asylum seekers have been found dead in a capsized boat off the Greek island of Crete, the country's coast guard said. The bodies were found about 26 nautical miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Crete on Saturday (December 6). The people, who had endured bad weather, dehydration and an inhumane journey, had made the dangerous journey to Europe.

A Greek coast guard spokeswoman told AFP that all of the dead were men. Two were found alive but remain in hospital in a serious condition. It is not yet clear how the boat sank. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The Athens News Agency reported that a Turkish cargo ship first spotted the boat and alerted Greek authorities. The Greek coastguard quickly dispatched two ships. The EU border agency Frontex also joined the rescue effort. They sent a boat, a plane and a Super Puma helicopter.

The coastguard said two survivors said the boat had become unstable due to bad weather. They had no food, water or shelter. Even when they were rescued, the boat was sinking as water was entering it.

The mayor of the port city of Ierapetra in Crete, Manolis Frangoulis, told reporters that the dead were all young people. He said the boat was relatively flat on both sides, so passengers had to be crammed into a small space.

Meanwhile, Greek state TV ERT reported that investigators were investigating whether the dead young people died of dehydration.

Al Jazeera reports that in the past year, migrants have again chosen the island of Crete as a route to reach Europe from Libya. The UN refugee agency UNHCR said that more than 16,770 people have arrived in Crete since the beginning of this year seeking asylum in Europe.

In such a situation, Greece's conservative government led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis suspended the hearing of asylum applications of migrants last July, announcing that no more hearings would be held for migrants who arrived in Crete by boat from Libya.

Libya has been plunged into chaos and instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed then-dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Al Jazeera reports