Victims Of Death Of Migrant Ship Sinking In Greece Reaches 79 People

PHOTO OF ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH/Jametlene Reskp

JAKARTA - The death toll from the sinking of a fishing boat that was packed by migrants off the southwestern coast of Greece reached 79, according to local media reports.

At least 104 migrants were rescued, but the death toll was feared to rise as survivors said the ship was carrying up to 700 migrants mostly from Pakistan, Egypt, and Syria, according to Greek media coverage ERT.

Some survivors said that many women and children were among the passengers of the sinking ship. Greek Coast Guard said it was very difficult to determine the number of migrants on board.

Reported by ANTARA, Thursday, June 15, Greek authorities investigated three passengers who survived on suspicion of human trafficking. The three people were considered suspicious because of their calm attitude after being rescued and taken to the city of Kalamata.

"All the victims who were rescued will be questioned as part of an initial investigation to explain the cause of the tragedy," said ERT.

Greek President Total Sakellaropoulou visited an area where the rescued migrants were being taken care of.

Responding to the tragedy, former Prime Minister and leader of the New Democratic Party Kyriakos Mitsotakis said "the accident highlights the most dramatic fact that the issue of migration is still a problem that requires a cohesive European policy".

Mitsotakis also blamed "disgraceful criminal networks that trade desperate people."

The main opposition leader of the SYRIZA party, Alexis Tsipras, said: "This moment requires us to put humanity first and support ship crash survivors, while increasing all means of finding those who are missing".

Meanwhile, PASOK party leader Nikor Androulawas called for closer cooperation between the European Union and Greece to prevent the tragic incident from recurring.

Greece's interim Prime Minister Ioanis Sarmas' office announced a three-day national mourning period for victims of the ship's crash.