Greece: Shipwreck Leaving Hundreds Dead and Missing

More than 80 people are confirmed dead and hundreds are missing after an overcrowded fishing boat capsized off the Greek coast. The tragedy has sparked outrage across Europe and the EU has been accused of complicity. Media investigations, NGO reports and testimonies by survivors contradict official Greek version of events but so far the only people under legal scrutiny are nine survivors charged over crewing the boat.

There were approximately 750 people reportedly including 100 children onboard a fishing boat that departed Tobruk in Libya attempting to reach Italy when it capsized in the Ionian Sea, 87 km from the Greek coast off Pylos on 14 June and just 104 have been rescued – reportedly by a private superyacht reacting to distress calls. By 19 June, more than 80 bodies had been recovered leaving more than 500 missing. Leaked testimonies from survivors describe how Pakistani nationals were forced below deck, while other nationalities were allowed on the top deck, with a greater chance of surviving a capsize. The testimonies also reveal how women and children were effectively “locked up” in the hold to be “protected” by men on the overcrowded vessel. Guardian reported on 18 June: “No women or children are thought to be among the survivors, while reports from Pakistan on Saturday indicate hundreds of its citizens may have died when the rusty trawler sank off the Peloponnese peninsula. Local media reported that at least 298 Pakistanis died, 135 from the Pakistani side of Kashmir”.