Agence France-Presse learned from a source in one of the ports on Thursday, June 15, that nine people of Egyptian nationality, suspected of being smugglers, were arrested in Greece, after a migrant boat sank off the Greek coast, which could claim the lives of hundreds.
Among them is the captain of the rickety and overburdened boat that capsized just before it sank, killing at least 78 people, according to an official report.
sequel after announcement
Shipwreck in Greece: “EU policy forces migrants to make crossings more dangerous than ever”
According to the port source, the fishing boat left Egypt empty before it boarded migrants in Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, and was on its way to Italy.
‘One of the most devastating tragedies’
Those caught in Kalamata, the port on the Peloponnese peninsula where the survivors were taken, are suspects “Illegal trade” Human, according to the Greek News Agency.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said: Fear of hundreds of other people Sinking “In one of the most devastating tragedies in the Mediterranean in a decade”.
Migrant shipwreck in Greece: a rescuer tells of receiving survivors in Kalamata
Greek government spokesman Ilias Syakantaris said on Wednesday that unconfirmed reports said 750 people were on board.
