22 Die After Migrant Boat Drifts Six Days Off Crete

Overview

• The inflatable left Tobruk, Libya, on March 21 bound for Greece and drifted for six days without food or water, leading to 22 deaths.
• A Frontex patrol rescued 26 survivors south of Crete and two were taken to a hospital in Heraklion.
• Authorities later identified the group as 21 people from Bangladesh, one from Chad, and four from South Sudan.
• Greek officials arrested two men from South Sudan, ages 19 and 22, on suspicion of smuggling and said charges will include illegal entry and involuntary manslaughter.
• Survivors reported that a trafficker ordered the bodies of the dead thrown into the sea, as agencies warn of about 660 Mediterranean deaths in January and February.