A suspected naval mine was discovered off the coast of eastern Crete after fishermen spotted a suspicious metallic object along the rocky shoreline near Agios Antonios, in the municipal district of Neapoli, in Lasithi.

According to a report by ekriti.gr, authorities were immediately alerted and Coast Guard forces rushed to the scene, activating safety protocols for potentially dangerous military material. Initial assessments reportedly indicate that the object is a naval mine. Coast Guard officials also told the individuals who discovered it that it may be of Ukrainian origin, according to the report.

Authorities are now focusing on determining where the object came from and how it ended up in the area. One scenario under examination is whether it was an old wartime remnant that washed ashore or whether it drifted into the area amid more recent military activity in the eastern Mediterranean.

The report also noted that a similar mine was discovered on a beach in Rhodes about a year ago.