ATHENS, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Twenty two people have been reported dead after a migrant boat drifted for several days at sea off Greece's island of Crete, the Hellenic Coast Guard said on Saturday.
Twenty six survivors sending out a distress signal near the island were rescued on Thursday, according to a press release. The survivors said the 22 people who had died during the journey from Libya due to a lack of food and water.
The survivors reported that they had departed from Tobruk on March 21, each paying smugglers up to 8,660 euros (around 10,000 U.S. dollars). However, the boat lost its course and remained stranded at sea for several days.
Among those rescued, two men from South Sudan have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking. ■