Nine Egyptians who were rescued in international waters after their overcrowded refugee boat sank on Wednesday are suspected of having helped organize the crossing. They will appear in court in Kalamata on Monday – they are accused, among other things, of forming a criminal organization and human trafficking. The Greek broadcaster reported that one of the men had made a confession.
As reported by the newspaper “Kathimerini” on Saturday, quoting coast guard officials, one of those arrested would have been “the right hand man” of the captain. Another was referred to as a mechanic. At least one of the suspects reportedly severely intimidated the fugitives during the crossing, who protested against continuing their journey to Italy. According to survivors, the refugees paid between 5,000 and 6,000 euros per person for the dangerous journey.
Hope of survivors sinking ‘by the minute’
According to official information, the Greek coast guard continued to search the sea around the crash site on Saturday. However, hope for survivors is dwindling “by the minute”, Stella Nanou, of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told AFP news agency.
According to Greek authorities, the overloaded fishing boat capsized on Wednesday morning off the Peloponnese peninsula, at one of the lowest points in the Mediterranean, after the engine had previously failed. According to the Coast Guard, 78 bodies were recovered on Thursday night, but the death toll is likely to be significantly higher.
UNHCR spokeswoman Nanou spoke, citing images and statements released by authorities of “hundreds of people” who were allegedly on board. Survivors had previously reported that around 100 children were alone in the ship’s hold.
104 men rescued
According to official data, 104 people were rescued and taken to the port of Kalamata: 47 Syrians, 43 Egyptians, 12 Pakistanis and two Palestinians. All rescued were men. 27 of them were later treated at the hospital on Friday.
According to relatives and activists, there were more than 120 Syrians on board the boat. According to statements made to the AFP news agency, 55 missing prisoners and 35 rescued came from the province of Deraa, in southern Syria alone. According to the brother of a missing person, another 35 people on the boat were Syrian Kurds from the city of Kobane, near the Turkish border.
AP/Thanassis Stavrakis A warehouse was used to house survivors of the boat accident
Greek authorities under pressure
The Greek authorities’ handling of the fishing boat has, however, come under fire from many quarters: the Greek coastguard said after the accident on Wednesday that the Italian authorities had drawn attention to the boat, which was occupied by several people, and that a Frontex aircraft was discovered first. However, there was no request for help from the boat’s crew, after contact with Greece they refused help several times and emphasized that the boat wanted to go to Italy.
Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central and Western Mediterranean, said on Friday that Athens’ arguments that the fishing vessel in distress was not immediately rescued were “unfounded”. According to international law, Greece should have organized the rescue operation of the “full to bursting” boat “sooner” as soon as the border protection agency Frontex reported its plight.
debate
What does a sensible refugee policy look like?
“Urgent and effective action” demanded
In a joint statement, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) called for “urgent and effective action” to prevent further deaths at sea. Federico Soda, head of the IOM’s emergency department, said that in migration policy, “current management of the Mediterranean Sea is “obviously impractical”. UNHCR Deputy Chief Gillian Triggs reminded the EU of its responsibility to place “security and solidarity” at the heart of its actions in the Mediterranean.
The head of the European department of the non-governmental organization Pro Asyl, Karl Kopp, even spoke of “orchestrated terminal care” in relation to the boat accident. Both the Greek authorities and Frontex knew about the “completely overloaded” boat and had to intervene immediately.