In this file photo, migrants disembark from a boat at a port in Heraklion, southern Crete, on February 21, 2026. Twenty-two migrants hoping to reach Europe from North Africa have died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat, survivors told the Greek coast guard on Saturday. Survivors said the bodies of those who had died were thrown into the Mediterranean sea on the orders of one of the people smugglers aboard the ship. "During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water," the coastguard stated. The Greek authorities have arrested two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, believed to be the smugglers.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 28, 2026 13:43 UTC