Gavdos: one dead, missing in shipwreck, 45 in dinghy

Two separate incidents involving migrants were recorded in the early hours of Tuesday 15 September 2026 in the sea area south of Gavdos, in the Regional Unit of Chania. In the first, a boat carrying around 77 people sank off the island. The Hellenic Coast Guard managed to pull 51 people from the sea, while a 25-year-old man from Egypt was recovered dead. Around 25 people remain missing, with searches continuing throughout the night without result so far. At the same time, around 02:00 on the same day, a dinghy carrying 45 migrants was located 38 nautical miles south of the island, at a separate location and time from the shipwreck. Both incidents form part of the wider migration flow that frequently passes through the sea area south of Crete, on the route towards mainland Greece, making Tuesday night especially heavy for the area.

The Hellenic Coast Guard took part in the rescue operations, coordinating both the recovery of the shipwreck survivors and the location of the dinghy carrying the 45 migrants. In the second operation, the assistance of a passing merchant ship proved decisive, as it located the dinghy off Gavdos and picked up all those on board before they were transferred to a safe location. According to a report by neakriti.gr, “everyone was picked up and is being transferred to Agyia in Chania.” The 45 people were found in good health and did not require medical attention during their transfer. By contrast, the picture at the shipwreck remained dramatic throughout the night, as Coast Guard vessels continued searching for the missing in a sea area considered among the most demanding for search and rescue operations due to its distance from the coast and weather conditions.

Gavdos, the southernmost point of Europe, remains steadily at the centre of crossings by migrant boats from North Africa, with local authorities in Chania often called upon to manage successive arrivals within a short period. It is worth noting that the two incidents of Tuesday 15 September 2026 are not connected to each other, as they involve different boats, different times and different outcomes; however, part of the initial press coverage presented them as a single event, while other reports treated them as separate incidents, a discrepancy recorded here without concealment. For the local community in Chania, the succession of the two incidents within the same night highlights the strain on the area, both in terms of the Coast Guard’s operational readiness and in terms of the reception and hosting of arrivals, with the temporary hosting facility in Agyia again serving as the first stop after Paleochora.

On the morning of Tuesday 15 September 2026, the search for the roughly 25 missing from the shipwreck was continuing, characterised as unsuccessful so far, with the Coast Guard not ruling out extending the operation as long as conditions at sea south of the island allow. Meanwhile, the 45 passengers of the dinghy located at dawn followed a different path: they were transferred first to Gavdos, then to Paleochora, and finally to the temporary hosting facility in Agyia, Chania, where their details are expected to be recorded under the standard reception procedure. The 25-year-old from Egypt who lost his life remains the only confirmed victim so far, while the authorities have not announced further details on the identity or number of the missing beyond the initial estimate. The matter remains ongoing and related announcements are expected to be updated as the searches in the area continue.