Seven drowned Libya evacuees found off Crete
Coast guard workers on Crete said on Tuesday that they had recovered the bodies of seven drowned men, all believed to be members of a group of Bangladeshi nationals that abandoned a ship evacuating them from strife-torn Libya earlier this month.
The seven bodies were found by coast guard workers within 24 hours, bringing to 10 the number of drowned Bangladeshis found off the northwestern coast of the island this month. Three Bangladeshis were found drowned in the early hours of March 6 after they used a rope to clamber down the side of the Ionian King as it sailed toward Souda Bay.
Coast guard officials said that the search would continue for another four Bangladeshis that remain unaccounted for. The other 39 evacuees who managed to reach the shore safely have since been repatriated.
Authorities believe the Bangladeshis, who had all been employed with the South Korean conglomerate Daewoo in Libya, had abandoned the ship evacuating them from Libya to avoid being returned home.
