Egypt to repatriate bodies of 14 irregular migrants from Greece

CAIRO – 22 December 2025: The Egyptian Embassy in Greece announced that, in cooperation with Greek authorities, it has expedited the repatriation of the bodies of 14 irregular migrants who died in a boat sinking south of Crete. 

A total of 14 Egyptians have died and 13 others are missing after a boat carrying irregular migrants capsized off the Greek island of Crete. In a statement issued on Monday, the Egyptian Embassy in Athens said the incident involved 27 young people from Egypt, in addition to five migrants of other nationalities.

Although the process normally takes up to 14 days, it was significantly shortened despite the Christmas and New Year holidays, the embassy added in a statement.

This effort comes as part of the embassy’s ongoing work to address the aftermath of the tragic incident and its commitment to the victims’ families to complete all necessary procedures as quickly as possible to return the bodies to Egypt.

The embassy stated that the repatriation process will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, December 23, and will take place gradually. Families of the victims are being informed of the scheduled arrival times of the bodies.

The embassy extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and reiterated its call for citizens to exercise extreme caution and refrain from attempting illegal migration under any circumstances, given the serious risks involved and the importance of safeguarding lives.