Frontex chief Leijtens arrives at Kalamata; 8 survivors questioned in relation to human trafficking

Eight people, all Egyptian nationals, are being questioned as suspects for the illegal transport of migrants on the fishing boat that sank in international waters 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos, southwestern Peloponnese on Wednesday, it was reported on Thursday. The individuals were among those rescued after the sinking of the ship, while the preliminary investigation was announced by the Kalamata Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens arrived at the Kalamata Coast Guard offices early evening Thursday, where he will be briefed on the maritime incident.

“I am here to better understand what happened and the role of Frontex. I am also here to express my solidarity and offer my help to the Greek colleagues who did their best to save lives,” said Leijtens.

The death toll currently still stands at 78, said Kalamata Mayor Thanassis Vasilopoulos, who added that one of the deceased is a woman, a fact which confirms that women were indeed onboard the ship, he pointed out. He also noted that “there were not only 182 people onboard, there were at least three times as many.” The number of those rescued still stands at 104, while the total number of passengers could be as high as 750, according to some media reports.

Among the 104 are between 6 and 8 unaccompanied minors aged 16 or over, the Greek Migration & Asylum Ministry reported on Thursday evening, who will be transported along with the rest of those rescued to a facility in Malakassa, it was added.

Many relatives of passengers have been arriving at Kalamata in search of information about their kin who were on the sunken vessel, some coming from Germany and some from the UK, it was also reported. One such person from Germany was looking for his wife, who was heading to Italy, and who had told him via the phone that some 20 other women on the fishing vessel, most of them in the holds.

Women also said to have been in the hold, amid fears 78 so far confirmed dead could rise into the hundreds

Survivors of one of the worst disasters in the Mediterranean in recent years, where an overcrowded fishing boat capsized and sank off the Greek coast, have revealed that women and children were travelling in the hold of the vessel.

The death toll currently stands at 78, but authorities fear that the number of victims could rise to hundreds.

Authorities have arrested nine suspected people-smugglers, all of whom are men of Egyptian descent and are believed to have piloted the boat.

They are being held in custody and are likely to face charges including mass murder. The survivors, who are mostly men aged between 16 and 40 from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt, are in a very bad psychological state, according to Erasmia Roumana from the UN’s refugee agency.

Around 30 survivors have been treated in hospital for pneumonia and exhaustion.