Survivors of the tragic shipwreck that occurred on Friday off the island of Crete in the southern Mediterranean have told authorities their boat set sail from Egypt and carried about 350 people, the Greek coastguard said on Saturday.
The Greek authorities said 340 migrants were rescued and nine bodies recovered about 75 miles off southern Crete, in territory which falls under Egypt’s search and rescue jurisdiction.
More and more people are trying to cross to Italy from the African coastline in recent weeks as the weather improves, particularly from Libya, where people-traffickers operate with relative impunity.
Friday’s incident was the third in just one week, involving migrant rescues or landings near Crete, Greece’s southernmost island, north of Libya and Egypt.
