2023-06-15 22:40:00
Time.news – At least 79 migrants who left Libya and headed for Italy died in a shipwreck off the Peloponnese. The fear, however, is that the death toll is much heavier. The fishing boat carrying 600 people capsized in international waters in the Ionian Sea, possibly due to strong winds, said the Greek coastguard who said saved about 100 shipwrecked people. Nine Egyptian nationals have been arrested in connection with the shipwreck.
It is feared that the waters, which are even 4,000 meters deep in that stretch, have engulfed them dozens of women and children. One survivor spoke of a hundred children in the hold of the fishing vessel and the fact that most of the survivors are men is unusual for a migrant group of this size.
We are deeply moved by the tragic events that are unfolding off the coast of Greece. The search & rescue operation coordinated by Greek authorities is ongoing.
Frontex surveillance aircraft detected the boat on Tuesday, 13 June at 09:47 and immediately informed the competent…
— Frontex (@Frontex) June 14, 2023
“The fishing vessel was 25-30 meters long. Its deck was full of people and we assume the interior was also full,” Greek coastguard spokesman Nikolaos Alexiou said. “We don’t know what was in the hold…but we know that several smugglers lock people up to keep control,” government spokesman Ilias Siakantaris added.
Siakantaris said that according to testimonies, which cannot be confirmed at the moment, up to 750 people were on board the vessel. The International Organization for Migration said in a tweet that there were up to 400 people on board.
A new dramatic shipwreck, this time off the coast of Greece. Only 104 survived for the moment.
From the first information, there would have been at least 400 migrants on board, but there is talk of an even higher number. https://t.co/57puEoelSY— IOM Mediterranean (@OIMItalia) June 14, 2023
Search and rescue operations are go on all night with flares fired from a C-130 military transport aircraft to illuminate the sea surface. The boat’s engine shut down just before midnight Italian time on Tuesday and the vessel capsized and sank in about 10-15 minutes. The survivors are mostly from Syria, Pakistan and Egypt, Alexiou said.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou visited the port of Kalamata to find out about the rescue operations and the accommodation given to the survivors. Greece is under a interim government until the June 25 elections. Acting Prime Minister Ioannis Sarmas’ office declared three days of mourning, adding that the nation’s thoughts are “with all the victims of ruthless traffickers who profit from human misfortune”.
Yesterday, we were alerted by a boat in distress in the Greek SAR zone. It had left from #Libya. According to the people, there were 750 people on board. Authorities were alerted. Contact was lost shortly after midnight. We now hear reports of a shipwreck and fear they are true. pic.twitter.com/NTyhmTIHQD
— Alarm Phone (@alarm_phone) June 14, 2023
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said to herself “deeply saddened by the news of the shipwreck off the coast of Greece and the numerous deaths reported” and “very concerned by the number of missing people”. “We must continue to working togetherwith Member States and third countries, to prevent such tragedies,” he said.
Migrants ‘refused help’
Greek media reported that nearly 30 people were taken to the port hospital. The coastguard said four people in more serious condition were taken to hospital by helicopter and that a surveillance plane from the European agency Frontex had spotted the boat on Tuesday afternoon, but the passengers “refused any help“. No one on board was wearing life jackets.
Greek authorities have arrested nine Egyptian men on human trafficking charges as part of the investigation into the sinking of the fishing vessel. As reported by the public television ERT, the nine suspects, who are among the 104 saved from the shipwreck, are accused of criminal organization for the illegal trafficking of immigrants.
#children #hold #sunken #fishing #boat