Athens (EFE). – The interim Prime Minister of Greece, Ioannis Sarmas, declared three days of national mourning for the victims of the shipwreck off the Hellenic coast of a fishing boat with hundreds of migrants, of whom at least 79 have died and dozens remain missing.
According to an official statement, the national mourning will last until next Saturday, “with thoughts of all the victims of the ruthless traffickers who take advantage of human despair.”
The fishing boat, which had left Libya for Italy with hundreds of people on board, sank in international waters southwest of the Greek Peloponnese peninsula.
According to some local media, at least 400 migrants were traveling on the 30-meter-long boat, although others put that figure at 700.
Of the total passage, 104 people could be rescued alive. All men of legal age, from Pakistan, Egypt, Syria and Palestine, the Coast Guard spokeswoman told EFE.
An “inconceivable” tragedy
The Greek mission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) described what happened as an “inconceivable tragedy”.
The Greek mission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) described what happened as an “inconceivable tragedy”.
In a statement posted on his Facebook account, he further stressed that these deaths could have been prevented if more safe routes for migration had been established in the Mediterranean.
Ten boats, a Navy frigate, a helicopter and a Frontex drone – the border agency of the European Union (EU) – participated in the search and rescue operations, which were expected to last all night.
The boat had departed from Libya
The boat had left for Italy from eastern Libya and capsized after capsizing southwest of the Peloponnese peninsula, authorities said.
The exact reasons why the boat capsized are still unknown, since the weather conditions at the time of the incident in the area were good.
The most probable hypothesis is that there was an abrupt “change of cargo” on the ship due to the simultaneous transfer of the hundreds of people who were on it, from one side to the other.
In a statement, the Greek Coast Guard reported that the ship had been located around noon on Tuesday, when it was sailing in international waters south of the Greek peninsula.
They refused Greek aid
In the afternoon, a Coast Guard vessel approached to offer assistance as it had spotted a large number of people on the ship’s outer deck, but those on board refused assistance, expressing their desire to continue the voyage. heading to Italy.
People smuggling networks have used large vessels such as sailing boats and fishing boats for years to make their way from Turkey or Libya to the southern Italian mainland, from where migrants and refugees have easier access to Central European countries.
Last Sunday, the Greek authorities rescued 90 migrants in the southern Peloponnese who were aboard a yacht that was adrift.