Global Courant
The nine arrested out of the 104 survivors of last week’s maritime tragedy 47 miles from the Greek port of Pylos in the Peloponnese have denied their involvement in the fatal sinking of the ship, stating to investigators that they are not traffickers, but rather refugees, who even they also paid the corresponding fee to go to Italy.
“Like the rest of them, he denies the charges. He denies any involvement in the actions related to the charges and claims that he is innocent. He claims that he was on the boat with 30-35 Egyptian compatriots. He says he left his country looking for a better life in Europe due to economic difficulties,” said Athanasios Iliopoulos, the lawyer of one of the suspects.
Meanwhile, the Greek coast guard authority has denied a report by the British BBC network that states that the trawler in question remained motionless at the site of the sinking for 7 hours and in a recent statement it is stated that from the moment it was discovered until the moment of the sinking , the ship has described on a steady course 30 nautical miles towards Italy.
According to the Greek authorities, that same afternoon, a tanker sailing nearby approached the fishing vessel and supplied it with food and water, as seen in a recent video published on Monday evening. Later, a second tanker was also approached from which the traffickers driving the ship did not accept help and food. According to the testimonies of the survivors in the Greek media, there were also people who died of hunger or thirst on the ship.
But the traffickers, according to the authorities, have also refused the help offered by the Greek Coast Guard ship. There were also statements from the European Commission about the tragedy.
“We emphasize that the Greek prosecutor has opened an investigation into this incident and it is very important to ensure a complete and continuous investigation. This tragedy highlights the need to work with EU Member States, EU agencies and our third country partners to fight the traffickers who put so many lives at risk,” said Anitta Hiper, EC Spokesperson for Affairs internal.
While they have declared national mourning, the authorities in Pakistan, who have arrested 14 people after the tragedy on charges of human trafficking, estimate according to their reports that the number of refugees on the ship could have been up to 800 people, 310 of whom were Pakistanis. about a third from Kashmir.
In the late hours of Monday, three more lifeless bodies were brought to the port of Kallamata from the place of the tragedy, and the official number of victims has already reached 81. While inside a besieged camp near Athens, they continue to come from many states relatives of persons considered missing.
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