Nine survivors arrested following migrant ship sinking
Authorities in the port city of Kalamata have made nine arrests following the sinking of a fishing boat southwest of the Peloponnese that killed at least 78 migrants, a Shipping Ministry source has said.
All those arrested, who are said to be from Egypt, will face charges of forming a criminal organization and illegal migrant trafficking.
The news of the arrests comes as hopes of survivors dwindled and fears grew that hundreds more, including children, may have drowned inside the crowded vessel’s hold.
The investigation into the circumstances and causes and for those responsible for the shipwreck are ongoing.
It also appears that the vessel set sail from Egypt, stopped in Libya and then set out for Italy.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the sinking remains at 78, Kalamata Mayor Thanassis Vasilopoulos said.
He noted that one of the deceased is a woman, which he said confirms that women were indeed onboard the ship.
The number of those rescued still stands at 104, while the total number of passengers could be as high as 750, according to some media reports.
Among the 104 survivors are 6 to 8 unaccompanied minors aged 16 or over, the Migration and Asylum Ministry said.
The minors will be transported along with the rest of those rescued to a facility in Malakassa, eastern Attica.
The Greek Red Cross has launched a system to trace missing migrants and staff from the organization’s Central Tracing Agency (CTA) and the Restoring Family Links (RFL) program have arrived in Kalamata.
People looking for their relatives can reach the CTA and RFL at on +30 210-5230-043 and +30 210-5140-440 and at [email protected]. [AMNA, Kathimerini]
