In a harrowing incident off the coast of Crete, Greece, at least thirteen individuals lost their lives after a boat carrying Sudanese migrants sank. The Greek coastguard successfully rescued eighteen survivors from the watery grave, with four being rushed to hospital - including a young toddler. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the disaster, but believe the vessel may have been at sea for several days, battered by strong winds that hampered its progress towards the shore. Crete, a vital crossing point for migrants seeking Europe from the Middle East and North Africa, has seen over 22,000 sea arrivals this year alone. A coastguard official speaking anonymously to Reuters described the survivors as shivering from the cold. The distressed vessel was spotted by a Moroccan-flagged container ship approximately fifteen nautical miles (28 kilometers) off Crete's coastline. On the same day, the Greek coastguard also rescued 187 people in three separate incidents along Greece's shoreline. This year, more than 37,000 migrants have arrived in Greece, surpassing the total number who arrived in the entirety of 2025 according to UN figures. In response to the influx, the Greek government has announced plans to establish a temporary housing complex near Heraklion, the Cretan capital. Greece found itself at the epicenter of Europe's migration crisis in 2015-16 when nearly a million people arrived on its shores, primarily from Turkey. However, border controls tightened, causing arrivals to decrease; meanwhile, crossings from Libya have surged, particularly among individuals fleeing conflict in Sudan and seeking improved economic prospects in countries such as Bangladesh.