At least 14 Egyptian migrants have died after an irregular migration boat sank near the port of the Greek island of Crete, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. In a statement, the ministry said it was closely following the incident involving a vessel that departed from one of Egypt’s neighbouring countries and was heading towards Greece on December 7, 2025.
The boat was carrying 34 migrants of different nationalities. Fourteen of those on board were Egyptian nationals, all of whom lost their lives when the vessel went down, the ministry said. Egyptian authorities said they had moved quickly to coordinate with Greek officials to provide assistance to survivors and to accelerate procedures for the repatriation of the victims’ bodies.
The ministry described the incident as “tragic” and urged Egyptian citizens not to fall victim to irregular migration networks, warning that such journeys pose severe risks to life. Libya and other neighbouring states remain key transit routes for migrants attempting to reach Europe, with Crete increasingly used as an entry point into the European Union.
In early July, the Greek government suspended the processing of asylum applications, particularly for migrants arriving in Crete from Libya. Egyptian authorities maintain that no irregular migration boats have departed directly from Egypt towards Europe since 2016, noting that Egyptian migrants typically travel through Libya as a transit route.