The search continues, Friday, June 16, to try to find survivors two days after a fishing boat, loaded with migrants, sank off the Greek coast, in the Mediterranean Sea. Three days of national mourning have been declared in Greece, as the investigation progresses to determine the circumstances and causes of the tragedy. Lupus assesses the situation, two days after the sinking.
• Constantly advanced search
78 bodies have been recovered at sea, but the death toll is likely to increase as the search progresses. If 104 migrants are rescued and brought to the port of Kalamata in southern Greece,” Hopes of finding survivors are bleak Stella Nano, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Greece, told AFP. A Navy frigate, helicopter and three boats are responsible for participating in the ongoing search.
sequel after announcement
Right now, the balance sheet makes this shipwreck one of the ” The most devastating tragedies in the Mediterranean in a decade says the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
• Arresting 9 suspected smugglers
The Greek Supreme Court ordered an investigation to determine the causes of the tragedy. On Thursday, June 15, in the evening we learned that nine alleged smugglers had been detained in the port of Kalamata, on the Peloponnese peninsula. They are 9 Egyptians, between the ages of 20 and 40, on suspicion of ” illegal trade of humans. Among the suspects, who are supposed to appear before the investigative judge on Monday, is the captain of the boat that capsized, according to a source at the port in Agence France-Presse.
Shipwreck in Greece: “EU policy forces migrants to make crossings more dangerous than ever”
The role of Frontex, the European agency responsible for external borders, also raises questions. According to the Greek port authorities, the boat was spotted by a Frontex reconnaissance plane on Tuesday noon, without interference, because the passengers ” Refuse any help Hans Lijtens, President of Frontex, went to Kalamata to establish the role of the European agency.
Enlightening testimonials
Thanks to testimonies from survivors and photos broadcast by port authorities, we know more about the circumstances of the sinking. The fishing boat had left Egypt before it boarded migrants in Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, and planned to disembark in Italy, according to AFP. Greek government spokesman Ilias Syakantaris said the plane capsized 87 km from Pylos in the Ionian Sea.
sequel after announcement
The latter had said on Wednesday that unconfirmed reports indicated that there were 750 people on board the ship. The order of magnitude is supported by testimonies of survivors as well as photographs released by the Coast Guard.
One of them reveals a blue trawler 25 to 30 meters long, in poor condition and overloaded with people. The immigrants seemed to live on deck from bow to stern, and even on the bridge deck. One survivor told Kalamata Hospital that he saw about 100 children in the hold of the boat, according to state broadcaster ERT. According to several people, the survivors did not have life jackets.
• Survivors in ‘shock’
The 104 rescued migrants are still in the port of Kalamata and should soon be transferred to the Migrant Reception Center in Malakasa, northeast of Athens. in the area, “It’s really terrible,” Erasmia Romana, a UNHCR employee, told AFP. They are mostly Syrians, Egyptians, Pakistanis and Palestinians.
These men are still according to the Erasemia Romana “in a very bad mood”. “Many are in shock, they are overwhelmed,” She adds.
