78 DEAD AND DOZENS FEARED MISSING AFTER BOAT WITH REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS SINKS OFF GREECE

Wed 14 June 2023:

One of the greatest such disasters this year occurred when a fishing boat carrying refugees and migrants collapsed and sank off the southern coast of Greece, killing at least 78 people and leaving many more missing.

The ship sank in international waters, 47 nautical miles (87 km) southwest of Pylos, off the coast of the Peloponnese, according to a statement from the Greek coast guard on Wednesday. The location is near to one of the Mediterranean Sea’s deepest zones.

The vessel sank 47 nautical miles (87km) southwest of Pylos, off the Peloponnese coas.

In the port city of Kalamata, four of the survivors were admitted to the hospital with hypothermia symptoms. Numerous more were transported to shelters in the city that had been set up by the ambulance services and the UNHCR to obtain dry clothing and medical care.

According to the coastguard, none of the people who were saved had life jackets or other protective gear.

The accident prompted an extensive rescue operation complicated by strong winds, the coastguard said, adding that about 100 people had been rescued so far. Six coastguard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport and an air force helicopter, as well as several private vessels, were taking part in the search for those missing.

It was unclear how many passengers might still be in the water or trapped in the sunken vessel, but some initial reports suggested hundreds of people may have been on board.

The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya.

Greek authorities did not immediately confirm its port of departure but a shipping ministry official said most of those on board were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan.

Greek authorities and the European Union border protection agency Frontex were first alerted about the approaching vessel on Tuesday.

Rescue operations are regular, but the Greek government came under international scrutiny last month after video footage allegedly showed the forcible evacuation of migrants and refugees stranded at sea.

According to figures released on Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 3,800 individuals died on migration routes inside and from the Middle East and North Africa last year, the highest number reported since 2017.

Some of the 104 rescued refugees/migrants rest in a make-shift first-aid center at the port of Kalamata.

The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project recorded 3,789 deaths along maritime and land routes in the region in 2022, including crossings of the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean maritime.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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