By Ec Detention and Reception Conditions Facts and figures News Other topics Publications Topics 30 January 2025

Crete – Gavdos: Sixfold increase in refugee arrivals in 2024 – Lack of organised first reception and accommodation infrastructure

Arrival Data for 2024

Refugee arrivals in Crete and the remote island of Gavdos were significantly increased throughout 2024. Already, arrivals in the region during January 2025 are substantially higher compared to those in January 2024.

The flows from the African coasts to these two islands are no longer an exceptional occurrence, as they are often portrayed in recent years, but a systematic reality that requires an organised response.

Despite commitments to establish proper and organised reception and accommodation conditions for those arriving on the two islands (including those made by then-Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis last April to create two temporary accommodation facilities in Crete), no related initiative seems to have been taken to date. Furthermore, there is an inadequate presence of organisations and authorities to manage these flows, as seen in other regions of Greece.

Consequently, local authorities, volunteers, and solidarity groups are left to cover significant gaps, such as temporary accommodation and the provision of basic necessities.

Today, we are publishing data on refugee arrivals in Crete and Gavdos for 2024, based on our collection and analysis. We have compiled incidents that occurred in the region throughout 2024, cross-checking data from official announcements by the coast guard, local authorities, and reports in local and national media.

98% of the incidents we present have been cross-verified specifically with official announcements from the Coast Guard. In only two cases, while we found multiple sources from local media providing detailed accounts, we did not find a corresponding announcement from the Coast Guard (see the two incidents in the sources table at the end: 1/ On 11/03/2024 – Kaloi Limenes, arrival of 80-85 refugees, and 2/ On 15/05/2024 – Lafonisi, arrival of 36 refugees).

According to this data, 5,161 refugees arrived in Crete and Gavdos in 2024 across 103 incidents.¹

The graphs in this publication illustrate the number of newly arrived refugees per month, the number of incidents per month, and the distribution of incidents by specific locations of identification.

This total number of arrivals in the broader region of Crete and Gavdos is six times higher than the 815 individuals who arrived on these two islands in 2023, according to UNHCR data. Analysis of the available data for the past year, conducted by Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) and published today, reveals that the majority of arrivals were recorded in Gavdos (62 out of 103 incidents) and southern Heraklion.

In several cases, boat arrivals were recorded in different parts of Crete on the same day or within a few days. For instance, between October 4 and October 6, 2024, six boats were identified in or near Gavdos, while three more were detected in southern Heraklion. According to the president of the Crete Coast Guard Association, the majority of those recently arriving on the two islands are from Egypt, Syria, and Sudan. A significant number of unaccompanied minors also arrive in Crete and Gavdos.

After a short stay in temporary, informal, and unsuitable facilities in Crete, newly arrived refugees are typically transferred to the Reception and Identification Centre and the Controlled Temporary Accommodation Facility for Asylum Seekers in Malakasa.

We note that we have submitted an inquiry to the Reception and Identification Service regarding whether there are plans to establish an organised temporary accommodation facility in Crete, following the statements by then-Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis last April. To date, we have received no response.

A dangerous crossing

The number of deaths and missing persons in the waters off Gavdos and Crete has significantly increased compared to previous years. Many boats depart from the Libyan coast, specifically the port of Tobruk, according to official reports. The distance between Tobruk and southern Crete is approximately 180 nautical miles. This is one of the most perilous sea routes in the Mediterranean, but refugees are increasingly forced to take this route due to the lack of legal and safe pathways for those seeking asylum.

Refugees are crammed into old fishing boats or small vessels, often enduring a journey of at least two days on open seas without food or life-saving equipment. Characteristically, a tragic incident occurred on 13 December 2024, when one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the waters southwest of Gavdos claimed the lives of more than half of the passengers. Eight bodies were recovered, five initially and three more in the following days. According to media publications, over 35 individuals are reported missing — now presumed dead — including children. From this shipwreck, 39 people were rescued, four of whom were transferred to the General Hospital of Chania for medical treatment.

Inadequate infrastructure and shortages of basic necessities in Chania

In December 2023, we had already highlighted the complete lack of organised facilities for the first reception of asylum seekers and the processing of identification procedures in Crete and Gavdos. Shortages also exist in interpretation services, both for initial registration and other related processes (such as accommodation, court hearings, and hospital visits). The Red Cross and a team of doctors and nurses provide first aid and medical care.

Most of the newly arrived individuals in the Chania region in recent months, including the survivors of the shipwreck on 13 December 2024, are transferred to the exhibition space in Agia, Chania. According to repeated reports, this space lacks even basic provisions for dignified living, let alone for individuals who have survived shipwrecks. During the past spring and summer, people were transferred to the open air parking at the Central Port Authority of Chania in Souda, another inadequate space.

Eleni Zervoudaki, Deputy Mayor for Social Policy of the Municipality of Chania, recently stated that there has been no communication with officials from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. She told RSA in a phone conversation on 7 January 2025, that the municipality’s request for financial support, submitted in June of last year, remains unanswered. As a result, the cost of temporary accommodation for people arriving in Chania falls on the local government.

The Social Centre – Migrants’ Centre of Chania has condemned the conditions at the exhibition center in Agia, emphasising that the space lacks essential items and has no heating. In a public statement, it reported that newly arrived individuals are forced to sleep on the floor on thin mats, using makeshift bedding and blankets that are insufficient and reused. Many walk barefoot or wear plastic sandals without socks, shoes, or seasonally appropriate clothing. In a previous statement last July, it noted that even basic items like soap were not provided, and residents had no access to showers.

Illustrating the severity of these shortages, just a few days ago, the Social Centre – Migrants’ Centre of Chania launched a campaign to collect clothing and essential supplies to support refugees arriving in Crete under extremely challenging conditions.

Municipality of Gavdos at a breaking point

The situation in the remote island of Gavdos, Europe’s southernmost point with just 208 permanent residents, is particularly dire. Gavdos’ Mayor, Lilian Stefanaki, sent two letters to the Minister of Migration and Asylum at the beginning of 2024, requesting the Ministry’s assistance with the rising costs of accommodating newly arrived refugees and creating a storage facility for essential supplies on the island. Although the municipality received financial support last year, it was insufficient to cover the ongoing expenses for hosting the continuous flow of arrivals, as Mayor Stefanaki confirmed in a phone call with RSA on 7 January 2025. The lack of resources reached a critical point during the deadly shipwreck of 13 December, when the body of a victim discovered a day later had to be stored in a food freezer due to the absence of a proper facility. In early January, the mayor sent another letter requesting financial aid. Local media reports highlight that the Municipality of Gavdos is on the brink of collapse, with no resources left for feeding the people arriving on the island, giving them clothes or for their safe transportation from landing sites. Reports describe refugees being transported in the municipality’s truck or a small agricultural vehicle owned by the municipality.

In some cases, newly arrived refugees must remain on Gavdos for a few days, either due to a lack of scheduled ferry routes or adverse weather conditions preventing immediate transfer to Chania. Reports have emerged of refugees being transported from Gavdos to Paleochora on the ferry’s lower deck, among vehicles, in violation of safety regulations – even during winter when the ferry is nearly empty of passengers. Similar discriminatory practices occurred in August, sparking widespread reactions.

Inadequate facilities in Heraklion

Severe infrastructure shortages are also evident in the Heraklion region, which records the highest number of arrivals after Gavdos. Until recently, newly arrived refugees were temporarily housed in the old bus station (“Palio KTEL”) building in Heraklion, a clearly unsuitable location. The Deputy Mayor for Social Policy of Heraklion, Georgios Tsagkarakis, confirmed in a phone call with RSA on 17 January 2025, that both the old bus station and the recently used “old freezer” hall are inadequate. However, the municipality has no alternative spaces, and the responsibility for temporary housing falls to the coast guard. Tsagkarakis added that, like Chania, the municipality of Heraklion has received no information from the Ministry about establishing temporary accommodation facilities as previously announced. He noted that the municipality provides medicines and clothing when available, while the Region of Crete supplies food and buses for transport. First aid and medical care are provided by the Red Cross and a team of doctors.

The solidarity group “Thalassa of Solidarity” (Sea of Solidarity) has reported significant deficiencies in the facilities, including a lack of showers and the reuse of mattresses and blankets. Last August, the group revealed that some refugees transferred to the old bus station were left barefoot and given plastic bags to cover their feet.

The old bus station building will no longer be available for temporary housing as it is set to be repurposed as an office for the Port Fund. In early 2025, 67 refugees who arrived in southern Heraklion were moved to the “old freezer” hall at Heraklion Port.