CNN –
According to EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the sinking of a packed refugee boat off the coast of Greece could be “the worst tragedy of all time” in the Mediterranean.
Dozens of people were killed and hundreds more were missing when the boat bound for Italy from the coastal city of Tobruk in Libya capsized off the coast of Greece earlier this week. The true damage of the disaster has yet to be determined.
“We do not yet have all the information about what happened, but it seems that this is the worst tragedy we have ever experienced in the Mediterranean,” she told a news conference in Brussels on Friday.
The tragedy has highlighted the EU refugee crisis, with tens of thousands of migrants risking dangerous routes to Europe every year fleeing war, persecution, climate change and poverty.
Johansson denounced the role of “smugglers” in getting people onto the boats. “They don’t send them to Europe, they send them to their deaths. That’s what they’re doing and it’s absolutely necessary to prevent it,” she said.
“Unfortunately, we saw this coming because since the beginning of the year there has been a new pattern of departures of these fishing boats from the eastern part of Libya… and we’ve seen a 600% increase in these departures this year,” she added, stressing the need to “find different ways to fight the smugglers and save lives”.
“When it comes to fighting the smugglers, we cannot rely on just one path. We have to use intelligence information – we have to conduct joint police investigations together with the countries of origin, the countries of transit and the countries of origin,” she said.
Other global organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for “urgent and decisive action” to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean and stressed “the duty to rescue those in distress at sea without delay”. .”
The Greek authorities have been criticized for their handling of the disaster.
On Friday, they denied claims the boat capsized after the Coast Guard attempted to tow it ashore.
Authorities initially said the Coast Guard was keeping their distance, but their help was “refused” after they threw a rope onto the ship to “stabilize it and see if it needed help”.
Speaking to Greek state broadcaster ERT, government spokesman Ilias Siakanderis said the coastguard arrived two hours before the boat capsized after its engine failed and there was “no connection” between the two.
“The engine broke down at 1:40 a.m. and at 2:00 a.m. it sank – so there can be no connection between (the Coast Guard’s approach to the boat and the time of its sinking),” he told ERT.
“A rope was only used by the two merchant ships to supply them with provisions. A rope rather than a mooring line was also used on the Coast Guard approach,” he added. “The people on board took the rope for a few minutes, then threw it into the sea and continued their journey.”
“It was a rope that was thrown to approach them, steady them and check if they needed help – they refused… and continued on their journey.”
Tarek Aldroobi, who had three relatives on board, told CNN they saw Greek authorities towing the ship with ropes but said they were tied in the “wrong places” – which caused the ship to capsize.
“Their boat was in good condition and the Greek Navy tried to tow them onto the beach but the ropes were tied in the wrong places,” Aldroobi said. “When the Greek Navy tried to tow her, the boat capsized.”
CNN has contacted the Greek authorities regarding the allegations.
A huge search and rescue operation took place, during which rescue workers managed to save some people. Among those rescued were Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis and Palestinians.
Just over 100 people were rescued and at least 78 people died, while some reports put as many as 750 on board.
Relatives of those on board are now desperately looking for survivors.
Ayman Abu Mahmoud, a spokesman for the Horan Free League, the largest media activist group in the southwestern Syrian city of Deraa, told CNN one of the survivors told him the boat was “malfunctioning” and Greek guards were “trying to take the boat to safety bring”. with a rope.”
“When they were towing, the boat tilted on its side and the disaster ensued,” Abu Mahmoud said.
“The Coast Guard boat went two miles away after the drowning and those who could swim that distance made it,” he said, quoting a survivor who told him what happened.