2023-06-15 21:39:24
The Greek authorities reported this Thursday that at least nine egyptians have been arrested for being suspected of human trafficking as part of the investigations after the wreck of a boat off the Greek coast with more than 750 migrants a bordwhich has so far resulted in 80 deaths and hundreds of missing.
Those arrested face criminal charges for migrant trafficking and criminal organizationalthough inquiries continue into the conditions, causes and those responsible for the wreck of the fishing boat, which left Egypt, stopped in Libya and continued towards Italy.
The Greek authorities have informed the Executive Director of the European Border and Coast Guard (Frontex), Hans Leijtens, of the details of the investigation from the port of Kalamata, where the relatives of the survivors have been arriving in the last hours, as reported by the newspaper ‘Kathimerini’.
“I am in Greece after the tragic event in Pylos, to meet with the Hellenic Coast Guard, to better understand what happened and to explore how Frontex can help the national authorities”, he indicated in a short message in his Twitter profile. The emergency services have recovered 104 people alive and, although they maintain in 78 the official number of deadseveral hundred more migrants are estimated to have been crammed aboard, presaging one of the deadliest disasters in recent history.
The Greek Red Cross has launched a system to trace missing migrants. Personnel from the Central Tracing Agency (CTA) of the organization, as well as from the Restoration of Family Links program (RFL) have arrived in Kalamata to continue the rescue tasks. “As time passes, the chances of people surviving become less and less likely. People are exhausted because they have already been at sea for days – they are shocked and distressed. Many require urgent medical attention”, explained a volunteer from the Hellenic Red Cross, Dimitris Chaliotis, in a statement.
The worst tragedy in history
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For his part, the operations manager of the oenagé, Frido Herinckx, has stated that it is “very sad” and “unacceptable” the death of migrants at the borders of the European Union in 2023. “The first quarter of this year was already the deadliest on record on the Central Mediterranean route and this tragedy could be one of the worst in history”, he added. The Greek Coast Guard maintains an active search and rescue deployment in the area, located about 87 kilometers from the city of Pylos in the (southern) Peloponnese region, although there is less and less hope of finding survivors.
The United Nations and children’s organizations raised the alarm this Thursday because there were probably about 100 children on the boat, an “atrocity” that the United Nations Fund for Children (Unicef) shows the need to work to avoid tragedies of this type.
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