Dozens of migrants die off the coast of Greece

Mystery surrounds the exact circumstances of the shipwreck of a ship with migrants on board, which occurred early Wednesday morning in international waters off Pylos, where 78 dead have so far been found and 104 people have been rescued.

According to the first information from the authorities, about 5 days ago the fishing boat set sail from Tobruk (Libya) and was on its way to Italy. According to the Greek Coast Guard, the migrant boat was spotted around 8 pm on Tuesday, 60 kilometers off the coast of Greece. Just then, a Frontex boat, as well as a Coast Guard boat, approached the migrants, and help was offered to the migrants, as the small boat was overcrowded, which was also detected by a Frontex drone that flew to the site.

According to the information, those on board refused the assistance offered to them and stated that they wanted to continue their journey to Italy.

The alarm was sounded at dawn on Wednesday when the Coast Guard was informed of the capsizing of a fishing boat carrying an unspecified number of migrants in neutral waters off Pylos. A rescue operation was launched and is still ongoing. By noon, the bodies of 78 people were removed from the water, 104 people were saved. The number of missing persons is unknown, as the survivors do not know how many passengers were on the ship in total.

Witnesses report that the ship sailed absolutely normally for 5 days, and good weather accompanied it all the way. However, on Wednesday night there was a sudden jolt to the left and then to the right, after which the fishing boat capsized and sank. Similar cases from the past suggest that such tremors can be caused by fights between passengers, which leads to load shifting.

Illustration photo. According to Frontex, the wrecked ship looked much the same.

Version of the closed in the hold

This testimony, in fact, raises suspicions about the possibility that the smugglers locked the migrants in the holds in order to have complete control over the boat. According to the information, the migrants on board the fishing boat that sank under unclear circumstances were from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Palestine, and there were reportedly 700 people on board.

However, the Coast Guard estimated, based on the size of the ship, that it could carry 150 people, not 700. According to sources protothema.gr, migrantswho were on the fishing boat did not know how to swim, while none of the rescued did not take a life jacket with them.

This is just the beginning

Coast Guard officials believe the number of such incidents will increase as more migrants travel from either the Turkish coast or North Africa, mainly to Italy to reach central and northern Europe more easily. The boats are old and many of them are in poor condition, and the number of passengers is much higher than allowed.

Acting Minister of Shipping and former head of the Coast Guard Theodoros Kliaris has been at the Coast Guard Joint Search and Rescue Coordinating Center since early morning. Together with him are the chief of the coast guard, Giorgos Alexandrakis, and the officers of the corps, coordinating the rescue operation.

Large mobilization for the treatment and care of the rescued

The mobilization of the authorities and institutions of Kalamata for the treatment and care of migrants rescued after a shipwreck is great. Yiannis Karvelis, commander of the 6th Sanitary Region, who is based in Kalamata, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency: “We have set up an open-air clinic in the port area, where they see those who need medical care, while now there are 14 migrants in the city hospital.” .

He also noted that “in addition to the Kalamata hospital, the hospitals of Kyparissia, Sparta and Tripoli have been put on standby, and a large number of EKAB ambulances from neighboring prefectures, as well as from Athens, have arrived in the capital of Messinia.” Giannis Karvelis stated that “a temporary accommodation zone for immigrants has already been set up in the old warehouses of the port of Kalamata until a decision is made on their resettlement.”

For its part, Kalamata Mayor Thanasis Vasilopoulos told APE-MPE that “the municipality opened the space that exists in the city’s port and, in cooperation with the regional department, provided mattresses, blankets and everything else needed.” He also stated that “water supply, chemical toilets, showers, tents have been installed, and preparations are already underway for preparing and distributing food to migrants.”

With the help of the S-130, the search will continue in the evening hours.

As for the search and rescue part, the press secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, pilot L.S. Nikolaos Alexiou said that the operation will continue in the evening with the assistance of the C-130 aircraft, which will fly over the accident site and scan the area with radar, so that efforts to search for those on board do not stop.

“Fortunately, the weather conditions in this area are very good, only 2-3 points on the Beaufort scale, which makes it easier to search. But this is a difficult task, the wreck is located at a great distance from the coast, at the limits of Greek waters. The wreck was carrying a large number of people on board, we cannot give an exact number. Colleagues who have seen the ship speak of a full deck of people. You understand that the search will take days.

Coast Guard announcement

“Regarding the ongoing large-scale search and rescue operation for migrants in international waters in the maritime area 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos, coordinated by the Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Center LS-EL.AKT., it is known that one hundred ( 100) people who are transported by boat to Kalamata, where their reception has been organized in cooperation with the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.

In addition, four (04) people were flown by an Air Force SUPER PUMA helicopter to Kalamata, where they were picked up by two EKAV ambulances and taken to a general hospital. It should be noted that when they were discovered, none of the rescued had life-saving equipment (vests). So far, as a result of extensive investigations, 78 bodies have been identified and collected.

Two LS-EL.AKT patrol ships, one LS-EL.AKT rescue ship, one Navy frigate and seven sailing vessels, as well as one Navy helicopter and one FRONTEX unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are on site.”

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