At least 14 Egyptians died after an irregular migration boat sank near the port of the Greek island of Crete, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said it is following up on the sinking of an irregular migration boat that departed from one of Egypt’s neighbouring countries heading to Greece on December 7, 2025.

The boat was carrying 34 irregular migrants of different nationalities, including 14 Egyptian citizens who lost their lives, the ministry added.

The ministry said it has communicated swiftly with Greek authorities to provide all possible assistance to those rescued from the boat, and to expedite the repatriation of the bodies of the Egyptian victims.

'Tragic' incident

Describing the incident as “tragic,” the ministry called on Egyptian citizens “not to be drawn into the clutches of irregular migration networks,” in order to protect their lives and avoid a repetition of such painful incidents.

Irregular migrants have been using Libya and other neighbouring countries to reach the island of Crete, a gateway to the European Union.

In early July, the Greek government decided to suspend asylum applications, particularly for people arriving in Crete from Libya.

Egypt says it has prevented the departure of any irregular migration boats toward Europe since 2016, while Egyptian irregular migrants usually resort to Libya as a transit route.