Greece: Shipwreck in Greece: With hundreds missing and at least 78 dead, the search continues
By Ahmad Hadizat Omayoza, Mamos Nigeria
The hope of finding survivors from the overcrowded fishing boat that capsized and sank on Wednesday, killing at least 78 people and possibly 500, is fading, and rescuers are continuing their grim search off the Greek coast.
Stella Nanou of the UN refugee agency stated to the Greek public broadcaster ERT, “This could be the worst maritime tragedy in Greece in recent years.” Erasmia Roumana, a member of the UNHCR, referred to the catastrophe as “really horrific.”
In addition, the survivors’ mental health was extremely poor, according to Roumana. In the Kalamata port, she told reporters, “Many are in shock and so overwhelmed.” A lot of people worry about the people they traveled with, whether friends or family.
According to authorities, all 104 survivors were men between the ages of 16 and 40. The majority stayed the night in a port warehouse. They are from Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt, “Giorgos Farvas, the deputy mayor of Kalamata, stated.
Most of the time, we’re talking about young men who are mentally exhausted and in a lot of shock. As they walked off the gangplanks of the vessels that had brought them here, some of them fell unconscious.
According to officials, thirty people were admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and exhaustion, but none are in immediate danger and several have been discharged.
Reports recommended up to 750 individuals had stuffed on to the fishing boat that inverted and sank almost immediately Wednesday around 50 miles (80 km) from the southern beach front town of Pylos while it was being shadowed by the Greek coastguard.
The fishing boat had a length of 25 to 30 meters. A coastguard spokesperson stated, “We assume the interior was just as full as its deck.” According to Ilias Siakantaris, a government spokesperson, smugglers were known to “lock people up to maintain control.”
Greek coastguard and police officials stated that they were working from the idea that “as many as 500” people were missing. Nicolaos Spanoudakis, a police inspector, stated, “It worries us that no more [survivors] have been found.”
“Interviews with survivors have been conducted, and procedures typical of any EU nation are being followed. Everything at the moment is based on guesswork, but we are working under the assumption that up to 500 are missing. It appears that children and women were in the hold.
The caretaker government in Greece has declared three days of national mourning and suspended electoral campaigning ahead of June 25 elections. Two watch boats, a helicopter and six different boats in the space kept on looking through the waters west of the Peloponnese landmass, quite possibly of the most profound region in the Mediterranean.
A coastguard vessel carrying victims entered Kalamata early on Thursday. Authorities revised the death toll from 79 to 78 following an official count.
The boat had been spotted on Tuesday by a surveillance plane from Europe’s Frontex agency, according to the coastguard. However, officials said that those on the boat, which had set off from the Libyan port of Tobruk, had repeatedly turned down requests for assistance.
The coastguard spokesperson, Nikos Alexiou, stated to Skai TV, “It was a fishing boat packed with people who refused our assistance because they wanted to go to Italy.” In the event that it required our assistance, which they had declined, we remained alongside it.
On Tuesday, just before midnight UK time, the boat’s engine failed, and shortly thereafter, it capsized. Coastguard experts said that the movement of the people inside may have caused the boat to list and overturn. It was believed that no one on board was wearing a life jacket.
The coastguard stated that the majority of the survivors were from Pakistan, Egypt, and Syria. They are being temporarily housed in a port warehouse so that Greek authorities can identify them and conduct interviews with them. Seven people smugglers were being questioned, according to reports from survivors.
Greek media outlets cited sources in Athens’ shipping ministry as saying, “Human traffickers are always the first to know when something is going wrong and are usually the first to rush to save themselves.”
ERT was informed by the acting migration minister of Greece, Daniel Esdras, that the survivors would be taken to a migrant camp near Athens later on Thursday or Friday. He also said that Greece would look into their claims for asylum, but those who were found not to be eligible for protection would be sent back home.
The migrants’ bodies were taken to a morgue outside of Athens, where DNA samples and photographs of their faces will be taken to begin the identification process. Health officials said that the embassies of the countries involved will help. Government sources said that the search was going to continue until at least Friday morning. They claimed that due to the depth of the international waters in which the incident occurred, it was unlikely that the sunken vessel could be retrieved.
According to Nikos Spanos, a retired Greek coast guard admiral, “the chances of finding more people alive are minimal.” Similar vintage fishing vessels have previously been observed from Libya. They have no seaworthiness at all. They are, to put it simply, floating coffins.
Greece’s worst migrant tragedy occurred in June 2016, when a sinking near Crete left at least 320 people dead or missing.
People on a ship in trouble off the coast of Greece, according to Alarm Phone, which runs a trans-European network supporting sea rescues, informed the company late on Tuesday. It claimed to have contacted onboard passengers and notified Greek authorities.
For refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Greece is one of the main entry points into the EU. Authorities have built walled camps, increased border controls, and taken a tougher stance on migration under a conservative government that was in power until last month.
Since an uprising in 2011 that was supported by NATO and had little stability or security, Libya is a major starting point for people who want to travel by sea to Europe. The majority of networks for people smuggling are run by military groups that control coastal areas.
Since 2014, the central Mediterranean has seen more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances, making it the world’s most dangerous destination for migrants and refugees.
