After their fishing boat capsized off the coast of southern Greece, at least 79 people have died and more than 100 have been saved.
However, witnesses and Greek authorities claim that there were hundreds more migrants on board.
The government has proclaimed three days of mourning, calling this one of Greece’s worst tragedies involving migrants.
The coastguard reported that the boat had declined rescue and that it went down about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south-west of Pylos.
The boat was discovered in international waters late on Tuesday, according to the coast guard, by an EU border agency Frontex aircraft. It also stated that no one on board was wearing a life jacket.
According to a chronology provided by the shipping ministry, Greek public TV ERT reported that officials had made many attempts to reach the boat by satellite phone and offered assistance, but were consistently met with the response, “We want nothing more than to go on to Italy.”
A few hours later, at around 01:00 (23:00 GMT), someone on the boat is said to have alerted the Greek coastguard to an engine issue.
The boat quickly overturned and quickly sank to the bottom, taking barely 10 to fifteen minutes. Strong winds made a search and rescue effort more challenging.
The coastguard was “aware of the ship being in distress for hours before any help was sent,” according to Alarm Phone, an emergency helpline for migrants at sea. It also stated that officials “had been informed by different sources” that the boat was in trouble.
It went on to say that because of the “horrible and systematic pushback practices” employed by the Greek government, people may have been afraid to interact with the government there.
The majority of persons on board are considered to be men in their 20s, and it is believed that the boat was traveling from Libya to Italy.
According to local media accounts, they had been traveling for days when on Tuesday afternoon a Maltese cargo ship approached the boat, bringing food and water.
A regional health director named Yiannis Karvelis warned of an unparalleled tragedy: “The number of the people on board was much higher than the capacity that should have been allowed for this boat.” Survivors claimed there were up to 700 people on board.
According to Coastguard Cpt. Nikolaos Alexiou, who spoke to public television, the boat sank at one of the Mediterranean Sea’s deepest spots and that his colleagues had observed people crammed onto the deck. The victims’ nationalities have not yet been disclosed.
The survivors were transported to Kalamata, where many of them received medical attention for hypothermia or minor wounds.
According to ERT, three people who are believed to be the traffickers have been transported to Kalamata’s central port authority and are currently undergoing questioning.
Visiting some of the people who had been saved, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou expressed her sadness for the drowning victims.
Hundreds of people perish each year while attempting to cross the Mediterranean. One of the bloodiest events ever was when a boat carrying migrants capsized in February near Cutro in the Calabria region of southern Italy, killing at least 94 people.
Yiorgos Michaelidis, a representative of the Greek Ministry of Migration, stated that Greece had consistently urged the EU to develop a “solid” migration strategy “in order to accept people who are really in need and not just the people who have the money to pay the smugglers.”
He stated, “At the moment, those who enter Europe are chosen by smugglers.
“The argument is that the EU should grant asylum, assistance, and safety to those who are truly in need. It’s not a Greek, Italian, or Cypriot problem. It is up to the EU to come to a sound immigration strategy.
One of the main entry points for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa is Greece.
The Greek government faced international backlash last month after video footage purportedly showed the forcible removal of migrants who had been abandoned at sea.
According to UN estimates, more than 70,000 refugees and migrants have entered Europe’s frontline nations this year, with the majority setting down in Italy.
