Global Courant
At least 79 people have died and more than 104 have been rescued after a boat full of migrants sank off the coast of southern Greece.
Survivors and Greek officials say there were hundreds of other migrants on board who are still missing.
A search-and-rescue operation is underway, but has been complicated by strong winds.
The Greek government said this is one of the worst migrant tragedies in Greece, and has declared three days of mourning.
The ship sank about 80 km south-west of Pylos, while coastguard authorities said its crew had refused help.
The coast guard said the ship was spotted in international waters late Tuesday by a plane belonging to the EU’s border agency Frontex. No one on board was wearing a life jacket, he added.
Greek public broadcaster ERT said authorities had contacted the boat via satellite phone on several occasions and offered help, but were repeatedly told: “We want nothing more than to go to Italy.”
Hours later, around 1:40 a.m. on Wednesday, someone from the ship reportedly notified the Greek coast guard that the ship’s engine was not working.
Soon after, the ship capsized, taking only ten to fifteen minutes to sink completely.
Alarm Phone, an emergency helpline for migrants at sea, said the coast guard was “aware that the situation on the vessel was not good before any assistance was dispatched”, adding that authorities “were informed by various sources” that the vessel was in trouble.
He added that people may have been afraid to meet the Greek authorities because they were aware of the country’s “horrendous and systematic practices”.
The ship is believed to have been traveling from Libya to Italy, with most of those on board believed to be men in their 20s.
They had been traveling for days.
Survivors said there are between 500 and 700 people on board, and regional health director Yiannis Karvelis warned of an unprecedented tragedy.
“The number of people on board was much higher than the capacity that should be allowed for this ship,” he said.
The Greek coast guard said they had seen many people on board, and that the ship had sunk in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou visited some of the survivors and expressed her grief for those who drowned.
Every year, hundreds of people die trying to cross the Mediterranean. In February, a migrant boat capsized near Cutro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy, killing at least 94 people – one of the deadliest incidents on record in the region. /REL
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