Greek coast guard defends actions as up to 500 migrants feared dead in shipwreck

Greece’s coast guard defended its actions in responding to a ship carrying lots of of migrants that ended up sinking off the nation’s south coast, as criticism mounted on Friday over the European Union’s years-long failure to hammer out a complete migration and asylum coverage.

Patrol boats and a helicopter spent a 3rd day scouring the realm of the Mediterranean Sea the place the packed fishing vessel capsized and sank early on Wednesday. The International Organisation for Migration stated as many as 500 passengers could have gone down with the trawler, which was touring from Libya to Italy.

“This could be the second deadliest shipwreck we have ever recorded after the tragic shipwreck of April, 2015 on route to Italy,” the UN migration company’s Missing Migrants Project tweeted, referring to a vessel that capsized off the coast of Libya, claiming the lives of an estimated 800 migrants.

Syrian survivor Fedi,18, proper, is reunited together with his brother Mohammad, who got here from Italy to fulfill him on the port of Kalamata, Greece (AP)

The Greek coast guard stated the search and rescue operation can be prolonged past the usual 72 hours. Rescuers pulled 104 survivors from the water and later recovered 78 our bodies however haven’t positioned any extra since late Wednesday.

The scale of the catastrophe put contemporary stress on each the Greek authorities and the European Union.

The UN’s migration and refugee businesses issued a joint assertion calling well timed maritime search and rescues “a legal and humanitarian imperative” and calling for “urgent and decisive action to prevent further deaths at sea”.

“The Greek government had specific responsibilities toward every passenger on the vessel, which was clearly in distress,” Adriana Tidona of Amnesty International stated. “This is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions, all the more so because it was entirely preventable.”

Most of the survivors have been being moved on Friday from a storage hangar on the southern port of Kalamata, the place relations additionally gathered to search for family members, to migrant shelters close to Athens. (AP)

Pope Francis, who was discharged from a Rome hospital Friday 9 days after present process belly surgical procedure, urged European governments to do extra to guard individuals who danger their lives whereas looking for higher ones.

“I feel great pain at the death of the migrants, including many children, in the shipwreck,” a tweet from Francis’ Twitter account stated. “We must do everything possible so that migrants fleeing war and poverty do not meet death while seeking a future of hope.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was extra pointed in his criticism.

“Let’s be clear. This is not a Greek problem. This is a European problem. I think it’s time for Europe to be able, in solidarity, to define an effective migration policy for these kinds of situations not to happen again,” Guterres stated throughout a news convention at UN headquarters in New York late Thursday.

Nine folks — all males from Egypt, ranging in age from 20 to 40 — have been arrested and detained and charged on Friday of individuals smuggling and taking part in a felony enterprise. Twenty-seven of the survivors stay hospitalised, well being officers stated. (AP)

The EU’s government fee says the 27-nation bloc is near an settlement on how member nations can share accountability in caring for migrants and refugees who undertake the harmful journey throughout the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, Greece and different southern EU nations that usually are the primary locations for Europe-bound asylum-seekers touring by sea have toughened border safety measures lately, extending partitions and intensifying maritime patrols.

Coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou stated coast guard and personal vessels adopted the vessel in worldwide waters earlier than it sank. Repeated affords of help have been rejected in radio communications with the vessel and nicely as calls revamped a loudspeaker, he stated.

Passengers within the maintain of the fishing boat included girl and kids however that the variety of lacking, believed to be within the lots of, remained unclear. (AP)

Alexiou denied stories of survivors saying a patrol boat had tried to tow the fishing boat.

A judicial investigation is underway into the causes of the sinking. Greek officers say the vessel capsized minutes after it misplaced energy, speculating that panic among the many passengers could have triggered the boat to listing and roll over.

The rescue operation additionally created political controversy in Greece because the nation heads to a basic election on June 25. Large protests in Athens turned violent late on Thursday and led to 21 arrests.

Left-wing opposition chief Alexis Tsipras visited survivors and stated the coast guard ought to have towed the ship to security because it approached Greek waters -– a priority echoed by human rights organisations.

Kassem Abo Zeed holds up {a photograph} together with his spouse, Ezra, who’s lacking. (AP)

Most of the survivors have been being moved on Friday from a storage hangar on the southern port of Kalamata, the place relations additionally gathered to search for family members, to migrant shelters close to Athens.

Nine folks — all males from Egypt, ranging in age from 20 to 40 — have been arrested and detained and charged on Friday of individuals smuggling and taking part in a felony enterprise. Twenty-seven of the survivors stay hospitalised, well being officers stated.

The smuggling suspects are as a result of seem in courtroom Monday.

Alexiou, citing survivor accounts, stated passengers within the maintain of the fishing boat included girls and kids however that the variety of lacking, believed to be within the lots of, remained unclear.