Eighteen migrants drowned after their boat capsized around 40 km south of the small Greek island of Chrissi, a coast guard official said. Two people were pulled from the sea alive.

The boat was first spotted by a Turkish cargo ship, which alerted Greek authorities. The survivors were transferred to Crete, the official added.

Greece was on the frontline of the 2015–2016 migration crisis, when more than a million people from the Middle East and Africa reached Europe. While arrivals later declined, last year saw a sharp rise in boats—mostly departing from Libya—heading toward Crete, Gavdos and Chrissi, the Aegean islands closest to Africa’s coast. Fatal incidents remain frequent.