ATHENS: The Greek government announced on Wednesday a three-day period of national mourning for the victims of a shipwreck which had occurred in international waters off its southwestern coast, Xinhua quoted Greek national news agency AMNA.
Authorities have retrieved the bodies of 79 refugees after a fishing boat carrying an unknown number of passengers sank 47 nautical miles off Pylos town.
“Everyone’s thoughts are with the victims of ruthless traffickers who took advantage of human misery,“ said caretaker Prime Minister Ioannis Sarmas.
A total of 104 passengers have now been rescued, Nikolaos Alexiou, spokesperson for the Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Ministry told Greek national broadcaster ERT. A search and rescue operation to locate other passengers will continue, he said.
“We cannot give the number of passengers with certainty, but it was very large... My colleagues found an overloaded boat,“ he said.
However, he did not confirm estimates that there were 400 to 700 passengers on board, which survivors gave to ERT and other media. They said the fishing boat which sank during nighttime between Tuesday and Wednesday had been on the way from Libya to Italy.
The incident happened in the area with the deepest waters in the Mediterranean Sea, and none of the survivors was wearing a lifejacket, according to Alexiou.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou has travelled to the nearby city of Kalamata, where survivors are being taken. She expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, calling for “coordination of EU member states to safeguard the lives and safety of migrants and refugees”.
European Council President Charles Michel said the accident was a “heartbreaking reminder we must put an end to the unscrupulous business of smugglers”. EU leaders will address the issue at the council on June 29 and 30, he said on Twitter.
“We must continue to work together with member states and third countries to prevent such tragedies,“ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
So far this year, 72,778 refugees have arrived in Europe from the south, including 71,136 arrivals by sea to Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Malta, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
At least 1,037 people have died or been reported missing in the region since the start of 2023, according to UNHCR. -Bernama
