ATHENS: Twenty people have died over the weekend trying to reach Greece's island of Crete, which has become a main destination for migrants headed for the European Union, authorities said on Monday.
Eight bodies were found on one boat and 12 on another, while some 40 people were rescued off both, the Greek coast guard said on Monday.
Maritime police launched an emergency rescue late Saturday after a boat issued an alarm signal, with strong winds making sea conditions difficult, the coast guard said.
Around 28 survivors and one body, all Sudanese nationals, were picked up by another boat sailing nearby, then transferred to a police vessel and taken to Crete, authorities had said on Sunday.
