Survivors estimate that as many as 750 people were aboard the fishing boat that sank near Pylos in Greece overnight on Wednesday. There are many indications that at least a hundred children were placed below deck during the crossing from Libya. Greek authorities report that 104 have been found alive, 78 have been confirmed dead. The overcrowded fishing boat is 5,000 meters deep in the Mediterranean, which will make it almost impossible to know exactly how many people were on board. Arrested Nine suspected human traffickers will be brought before the court in the coastal town of Kalamata in Greece on Monday. They are said to have guided the overcrowded fishing boat that went down about 80 kilometers from the Greek coastline. The leader of the bar association in Kalamata says there are many questions that require answers. – Many people are asking questions about what happened. We must start by asking whether the coast guard did the right thing, says Kostas Margelis. Survivors claim that 750 were on board this fishing boat when it sank. Photo: AP At the same time that suspected human traffickers are being brought before the court in Greece, ten suspected human traffickers have been arrested in the cities of Kashimir and Gujarat in Pakistan, writes The Guardian. They are suspected of having recruited young, poor Pakistanis to join the dangerous journey across to Europe in the sinking fishing boat. A father of a missing son is comforted by a neighbor. Raja Yousaf is one of many Pakistanis hoping for signs of life. The son Raja Sajid is missing. Photo: Nasir Mehmood / AP According to the BBC, each Pakistani should have paid human traffickers 7,000 dollars for the transport to Europe and for promises of a job there. National day of mourning Monday In Pakistan, a national day of mourning has been introduced on Monday. At least 21 of the Pakistanis on board the “disaster boat” are from the same village in their home country. In the village of Bindian, there are many families who miss their loved ones. One of them is Raja Tariq. He shows a picture of his missing son, Raja Awais, on his mobile phone. Among the lucky ones. These people are among the 104 who were found alive after the sinking on Wednesday morning. Photo: Thanassis Stavrakis / AP The Guardian writes that it is unclear how many Pakistanis were on board and that 12 Pakistanis have been found alive. Violent rage unleashed In Pakistan, much of the anger is directed at cynical people smugglers, but also at the Greek coast guard. After the shipwreck early in the morning on Wednesday, conflicting information has come from the Greek coast guard. Dead Sea, it says on the poster. Angry Greeks demonstrated against the authorities in protest against the treatment of migrants and refugees. Outside Parliament on 15 June. Photo: Petros Giannakouris / AP The fact that the coast guard is accused of not having come to the rescue of the fishing boat also leads to anger among Greeks, writes The Guardian. Many are convinced that the rescue service knowingly and willfully failed to help when the boat was in distress at sea. Casting doubt on Greek coast guard On Monday, the BBC stated that they have analyzed ship data from the place and time where the boat with hundreds of people sank. The data casts doubt on what the Greek coast guard has told. Analyzes of the movements of ships in the area where the migrant boat was in the hours before the sinking suggest that the boat did not move forward for at least seven hours before it capsized, writes the BBC. The Greek coastguard has said that in the same period the boat moved in the direction of Italy and that the people on board should have refused to accept help. Survivors of the shipwreck are placed in a warehouse in Kalamata, Greece. Photo: Thanassis Stavrakis / AP Greek authorities have not responded to a request from the BBC to comment on the case. The UN demands an investigation The UN has called for an investigation into the Greek authorities’ handling of the tragedy, writes NTB. A number of activists and experts have pointed out that the coast guard should have intervened and started a rescue operation as the boat was clearly in danger of sinking. The UN believes that this should have happened regardless of whether people on board asked for help or not. The boat may have had as many as 750 men, women and children from Syria, Egypt, Palestine and Pakistan on board. The boat had set out from Libya and was heading for Italy when it capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday.
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Manhunt for people smugglers after shipwreck near Greece – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
