Within just a few hours, Crete received hundreds of migrants, with the wave of arrivals reaching crisis proportions. Since early Sunday morning, the Coast Guard has been on constant alert: four boats carrying dozens of people were spotted sailing off Gavdos, while the total number of those rescued reached 303 for today alone. According to exclusive footage secured by ERT News, more than 500 migrants arrived in Crete and Gavdos from Libya within a 24-hour period. Approximately 570 people remain in Agyia, Chania, and will be transferred to closed facilities in the mainland.
Read more:Chania: 36 new migrant arrivals in Agyia – Coast Guard and municipality at breaking point
Increasing migrant arrivals in Crete: Intense consultations with the Migration and Asylum Ministry
“Early Saturday afternoon, a new, regular disembarkation occurred from 5 boats. More than 450 migrants disembarked on the island of Gavdos. Some of the boats docked at the port normally. All of them spent the night in Gavdos,” reported ERT News journalist Katerina Polyzou. Following increased migration flows, there were intense consultations with the Migration and Asylum Ministry. Currently, 561 migrants are housed at the Agyia reception center, bringing the total number to 566. “Overcrowding will become critical if the number of people here exceeds 1,000, given that 340 people have been here since August 18,” she added.
All indications suggest that the Migration Ministry is taking charge of the situation, with Minister Thanos Plevris planning to begin the gradual transfer of detainees to closed facilities starting Monday to ease the congestion. Last night the atmosphere was tense. There were incidents involving migrants who have been in the closed facility for many days and are in a state of constant anxiety and frustration. Today, the departure of migrants from Gavdos to Chania is expected, while developments are anticipated from Monday.
Small Gavdos resembles an “island under siege”
According to zarpanews, small Gavdos, Europe’s southernmost point, resembles an “island under siege.” Its beaches – from Trypiti to Kareve and Kefali – suddenly filled with people. “Kareve is packed,” declares the island’s shocked mayor, Lilian Stefanaki, who describes scenes of mass landing.
Business owners in Korfos were forced to close their establishments as the gathered migrants exceed the small community’s capabilities. Supplies are running low and residents are in despair, watching their island “sink” under the weight of a situation they cannot manage. Inland, the situation is no better. Agyia in Chania has reached a suffocation point. The accommodation facility has exceeded its limits, doctors and volunteers are leaving exhausted, while Chania’s deputy mayor Eleni Zervoudaki speaks of health problems and desperation. Local authorities and residents speak of a “cry for help” that has so far found no answer.
Crete: Over 550 migrants in three days
Within just three days, Crete has received over 550 migrants. Coast Guard authorities and Frontex fight daily battles at sea, while arrests of smugglers have already been recorded in Gavdos and Agia Galini. Nevertheless, trafficking networks continue to send people on dangerous journeys relentlessly.
The unfolding picture on the island is that of a society being tested: a small island like Gavdos cannot feed hundreds of mouths, while a major city like Chania sees its infrastructure “collapse” within just a few days. Between desperate migrants, exhausted residents, and authorities on constant alert, Crete is experiencing a reality that seems endless.
