At least 79 dead after migrant boat sinks off Greek coast

Athens [Greece], June 15 (ANI): At least 79 people have died after a migrant boat carrying hundreds of people capsized and sank off the Greek coast in the early hours of Wednesday, CNN reported citing the country’s Coast Guard, as fears increase that there could be more fatalities.

As many as 104 migrants who were travelling on the boat have been rescued from the water and taken to Kalamata city. Kalamata Mayor Thanasis Vasilopoulos said, “All the men who have been rescued are between 16-41 years old according to what they said,” according to CNN. Vasilopoulos further said, “They also said there were women and children on board.”
The Coast Guard has said that the search and rescue operation will stop when it’s dark in the area and will resume with the first light of day tomorrow. It is not clear how many people were travelling on the board when it sank off, according to CNN report.

According to survivors, there could have been 750 passengers on board the ship. A spokesperson for Peloponnese prefect Panagiotis Nikas said, “We fear that the number of dead will rise significantly.” According to initial information from authorities, the boat had sailed from Libya’s Tobruk, CNN reported citing State broadcaster ERT.

Earlier, the International Organization tweeted, “A shipwreck occurred today off Pylos, Greece according to @HCoastGuard. So far 104 survivors were brought to shore while 32 bodies were recovered. Search and rescue efforts continue and we fear more lives were lost. Initial reports suggest up to 400 people were onboard.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the shipwreck “horrific.” He tweeted, “Another horrific shipwreck in the Mediterranean – this time near Greece – has claimed the lives of scores of people. As I’ve said before – every person searching for a better life deserves safety & dignity.”

The NGO Alarm Phone said that they received a call from the boat on Tuesday afternoon. It further said that it was “difficult to communicate with the distressed,” who said that they could not survive the night, according to CNN report. According to Alarm Phone, the people on board the ship said that the captain left the vessel three hours after the first distress call was made and the passengers required food and water.