Coast Guard rescues 52 people from boat south of Crete, transfer to Heraklion under way

A Coast Guard vessel rescued 52 people from a boat found approximately 56 nautical miles southeast of Kaloi Limenes, on Crete’s south coast, authorities said. The group was expected to arrive in Heraklion around 11:30 a.m.

The boat was spotted by an unmanned Frontex surveillance aircraft during routine monitoring of the maritime area. A Hellenic Coast Guard vessel was dispatched to the location and carried out the rescue of all 52 people on board.

Who was on board

According to the latest information, all 52 people rescued are men. Of the total, 13 are from Sudan, including two minors, while 39 are from Bangladesh, including one minor.

The group was first brought to Kaloi Limenes before being transferred onward to Heraklion, where their arrival was expected at around 11:30 a.m. Once the transfer is complete, authorities will carry out standard registration and identification procedures, with separate measures applied for the minors as required by law.

The rescue is one of several recent incidents involving migrant boats reaching Crete’s southern coast, including a boat that reached the Kapetaniana coast in Gortyna and another operation in which 80 people were rescued south of Agia Galini.