The Hellenic Coast Guard said it received a distress signal shortly after 3 a.m. Three coast guard vessels, three ships from the EU border agency Frontex and three commercial vessels were dispatched to the scene, about 16 nautical miles southeast of Gavdos.
All migrants were safely transferred to the port of Agia Galini on Crete in good health, officials said.
The mayor of the local municipality, Giannis Tatarakis, said the group would remain temporarily in Agia Galini before being moved to the city of Rethymno. Municipal authorities provided food and assistance.
In a separate incident the same day, Frontex located another vessel near Gavdos carrying 32 migrants. They were taken to the port of Hania on Crete. No injuries were reported.
Gavdos, a remote island with fewer than 100 residents, has seen a sharp increase in migrant arrivals in 2025, becoming a key destination for smuggling networks operating out of Tobruk in eastern Libya.
Authorities say more than 7,300 migrants have reached Crete and Gavdos in the first half of the year — surpassing the total for all of 2024.
The 180-mile route from Libya to Gavdos typically takes at least 36 hours across open water. Migrants, mainly from Egypt, Sudan and Bangladesh, reportedly pay between EUR 2,000 and 5,000 for passage on overcrowded and often unseaworthy boats.
In July, Greece suspended asylum processing for arrivals from North Africa for three months.
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Source: Euronews, PAP, Reuters