At least 20 people died in boats carrying migrants trying to reach south of Greece's island of Crete, the coast guard said on Monday (Nov 9). The migrants' bodies were found in two vessels, with eight dead people being found on one and twelve on the other. Another 40 people were rescued from both vessels, the authorities in Greece said. Three rescue operations were conducted by the Hellenic Coast Guard and Frontex in the early hours of Monday. It was not immediately clear who the 20 people were nor the circumstances under which they died. According to Greece's coast guard, one of the boats was found sailing about 15 nautical miles — about 28 kilometers or 18 miles — south of the southern Mediterranean island of Crete on Monday morning. The boat and those on board were initially located by a container ship sailing under the Moroccan flag, which took part in the operation following coordination by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), according to the Hellenic Coast Guard.
(More details awaited)
