At least 78 migrants drowned early on Wednesday and more were feared missing after their overloaded boat capsized and sank off Greece, in one of Europe’s deadliest shipwrecks this year.
By midday, 104 people had been rescued, authorities said, but it remained unclear how many were on board when the vessel — whose occupants the coast guard said had refused an offer of help late on Tuesday – went under.
“We fear the number of dead will rise,” said a shipping ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Most cross over to Greek islands from nearby Turkey, but a growing number of boats also undertake a longer, more dangerous journey from Turkey to Italy via Greece. State broadcaster ERT said the boat that sank had set sail from the Libyan town of Tobruk, which lies south of the Greek island of Crete, and was headed to Italy.
The disaster is the deadliest off Greece this year, and among the worst in Europe. In February, 96 people died when their wooden boat smashed into rocks on Italy’s Calabrian coast during a storm. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, called on governments to work together on creating safe pathways for people fleeing poverty and war.—Reuters
