22 illegal migrants have died off the coast of Greece after spending six days at sea in a rubber boat, the Greek Coast Guard said in a statement late on Friday. 26 people were rescued by a Frontex European border agency vessel off the island of Crete.
"During the journey, the passengers (of the rubber boat) lost their orientation and remained at sea for six days without water and food," it said.
Rescued illegal migrants told authorities that 22 of them died while at sea and the bodies were thrown overboard on the orders of one of the traffickers, the statement said.
Greece has long been a favoured gateway to Europe for illegal migrants and "refugees" from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In 2015-16, it was at the frontline of Europe's migration crisis and nearly one million people landed on its islands, mainly from Turkey.
Many are still attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in boats and accidents are not rare. Greece has since toughened its stance on illegal migrants, reinforcing border controls with fences and sea patrols.
(Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru, Aleksandar Vasovic, Louisa Gouliamaki and Rene Maltezou; Editing by Joe Bavier and Louise Heavens)
