Seventeen bodies have been recovered and 15 people are feared missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Crete, Greek authorities have confirmed. Two survivors told officials that a total of 34 individuals were on board the vessel before it overturned.
Greece's coast guard has launched a search and rescue operation, though efforts are being severely hindered by strong winds and rough seas in the area. The half-submerged vessel was initially spotted on Saturday by a Turkish merchant ship, approximately 41 miles south-west of Ierapetra, a town in southern Crete.
Seventeen of the passengers on board, all men, were already dead, and there were only two survivors, the coast guard said, revising its initial count of 18 bodies. The survivors' revelation could mean the death toll might increase to 32.
The survivors were taken to a hospital in Crete and the bodies were taken to a mortuary on the island for post-mortem examinations, the coast guard said.
The survivors later told authorities there had been a total of 34 people on board the vessel, which had set sail from Tobruk in Libya on the night of December 1. The boat suffered engine failure the following day and began to drift, while 15 of those on board fell into the water and went missing, authorities said.
Greece is a major entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Fatal accidents are a common occurrence.
The preferred route used to be the short but often perilous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands. But increased patrols and allegations of pushbacks - summary deportations without allowing for asylum applications - by Greek authorities reduced crossing attempts.
Instead, many migrants are undertaking the much longer sea crossing across the Mediterranean from North Africa, particularly from Libya, using roughly made wooden boats, large inflatable dinghies or old dilapidated fishing vessels.
