ATHENS, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Greek coast guard Saturday rescued 131 
would be migrants off Crete, bringing the number of people brought out of the 
sea in the area over the past five days to 840, a police spokesperson said.

The migrants rescued Saturday morning were aboard a fishing boat some 14 
nautical miles south of Gavdos, a small island south of Crete.

The passengers, whose nationality was not revealed, were all taken to Gavdos.

Many people attempting to reach Crete from Libya drown during the risky 
crossing.

In early December, 17 people -- mostly Sudanese or Egyptian -- were found 
dead after their boat sank off the coast of Crete, and 15 others were 
reported missing. Only two people survived.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 16,770 people 
trying to get to Europe have arrived in Crete since the beginning of the 
year, more than on any other Greek island.

In July, the conservative government suspended the processing of asylum 
applications for three months, particularly those of people arriving from 
Libya, saying the measure as "absolutely necessary" in the face of the 
increasing flow of migrants.