At least three people died after a boat carrying migrants capsized south of the Greek island of Crete, the ERT broadcaster reported, citing the coastguard.

ERT reported that 56 people have been rescued so far, and the search for possible further passengers was ongoing.

The broadcaster published a video on Tuesday evening, taken by rescuers as they approached the completely overloaded vessel in the open sea.

The cries for help from the people can be heard, but the video stopped.

Shortly afterwards, the small boat capsized for reasons that were initially unclear.

Coastguard vessels, an air force helicopter, and a boat from the EU border protection agency Frontex took part in the rescue operation.

Those rescued were to be taken to Crete first and given medical attention there.

They are said to have stated that they set sail from the Libyan port city of Tobruk.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, by Sunday, nearly 16,000 migrants had arrived in Crete since the start of 2025.

Compared to last year, this is a 300 per cent increase, according to sources in the Ministry of Migration.

The government in Athens is calling for a fairer distribution of the refugee burden within the EU.

(dpa/NAN)