A passing cargo or container ship took part in the rescue of the 18 survivors, according to the supplied reports. The vessel was located south of Crete during an operation coordinated by Greek authorities, with the location described as roughly 15 nautical miles from the port of Kaloi Limenes.
Euronews reported that three separate search-and-rescue operations were conducted off or south of Crete in the early hours of Monday, involving the Hellenic Coast Guard and Frontex. The reporting said two additional migrant boats, carrying approximately 40 and 47 people, were located in the wider area; their occupants were rescued or were expected to be taken to Kaloi Limenes.
The rescue activity came as Crete faced increased arrivals from Libya, a trend documented by the Times of India and Euronews. Migration and asylum minister Thanos Plevris said that 1,700 people had arrived from Libya during the first three days of November, according to reporting by the Times of India.
Euronews separately reported that at least 20 people had died in two migrant-boat incidents over the weekend or across the reported three-day period. That broader figure should not be treated as a death toll for the boat carrying the 18 rescued people: the supplied evidence specifically records 12 deaths in that operation and does not establish that all 20 deaths occurred aboard the same vessel.
The identities of those who died and the circumstances of their deaths had not been disclosed in the Times of India report. The supplied reporting also does not establish the nationalities or medical condition of the rescued people, or the final outcome of every rescue operation.