Migrant boat sinks near Greece: one dead, two missing

A boat carrying 100 migrants has capsized near the Greek island of Gavdos. One man was found dead and two are missing, while 97 people were rescued by a cargo ship. The sinking highlights the recurring tragedies of migrants trying to reach Europe by sea, despite increasing dangers.

The dramatic facts
A boat carrying migrants sank off the small Greek island of Gavdos in the Mediterranean Sea on the night of 16 October 2024. The tragedy, which claimed the life of one man and left two others missing, is a sad reminder of the ongoing tragedy surrounding the migration crisis in the region. Greek authorities were able to rescue 97 people thanks to the rapid intervention of a passing cargo ship, which was transporting survivors to the port city of Heraklion on the island of Crete. Survivors included nationals from Pakistan, Sudan, Bangladesh and Somalia, the majority of whom were men. The exact circumstances of the sinking remain unclear, but it illustrates once again the risks taken by those fleeing war and poverty.

Search and rescue operations for the two missing people, a Pakistani and a Sudanese, continue, while conditions at sea and political tensions in Europe complicate efforts.

A persistent problem
The shipwreck comes just a day after a similar tragedy off the Greek island of Kos, where two women and two children were killed when another migrant boat capsized. These incidents are just the latest examples of the perilous route taken by tens of thousands of people each year, often aboard rickety boats, in the hope of reaching Europe. According to the UN, more than 42,000 migrants have already reached Greek shores in 2024, most via sea crossings from Turkey or North Africa.

The impact on European policy
This latest disaster highlights the constant migratory pressure on Europe’s borders, particularly on countries like Greece and Italy. Sofia Voultepsi, Greece’s deputy minister for migration, recently warned that wars in the Middle East and Africa, exacerbated by climate change, will continue to fuel a massive wave of migration to Europe in the years to come. Despite a migration pact adopted by the European Union in 2023, many challenges remain, particularly regarding returns and the management of rejected asylum applications. In parallel, controversial measures such as the Italy-Albania agreement aim to outsource the management of migrants outside the EU.

These events raise the question of Europe's capacity to manage these migratory flows effectively and humanely, while thousands of lives continue to be put at risk at sea.