The Greek Coast Guard salvaged the bodies of 12 illegal immigrants from the waters off Crete

China News Service, Beijing, November 9th, Athens News: On November 9th, local time, the Greek Coast Guard informed the public that earlier that day, rescuers salvaged the bodies of 12 illegal immigrants from a ship in distress in the waters near the country's Crete Island.

Based on news from Greek Daily News, Reuters and other media, coast guard officials said that the ship carrying illegal immigrants was discovered on the morning of the 9th in the Mediterranean Sea about 15 nautical miles south of Crete. There is currently no further information on the identities of the 12 victims or the specific circumstances of their deaths. Previously, a cargo ship flying the Moroccan flag successfully rescued 18 people from the same ship when passing through the waters.

In addition, the EU Border Agency also discovered two other ships in the waters south of Crete on the same day, one of which carried about 47 people and the other about 40 people. The people on the two ships have been rescued by relevant departments and taken to a port on the south coast of Crete.

For many years, islands such as Lesbos and Samos in the eastern Greek Aegean Sea have been the main landing points for illegal immigrants entering the EU through Greece. Accidents often occur due to factors such as overloading of ships, poor ship condition, and complex navigation conditions at sea. Just on the 19th of last month, two illegal immigrant boats capsized in the Aegean Sea in Greece, resulting in 12 deaths.