Up to 500 People Are Still Missing After Greece Boat Disaster, the UN Warns

UN agencies are urging immediate and decisive action after a migrant boat capsized in the Mediterranean off the coast of Greece, after one of the biggest maritime catastrophes in recent memory.

The fishing boat sank early on Wednesday in international seas southwest of Greece, killing at least 78 people.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, released a statement saying that although the exact number of passengers on the boat that capsized on June 14 off the coast of Greece is unknown, it is estimated to have been between 400 and 750.

“At this point, 104 people have been saved, and 78 corpses have been found, but hundreds of others are still missing and presumed dead. According to reports, the boat has been in trouble since the morning of June 13,” the statement said.

On the morning of June 14, after the Greece boat tragedy, the Hellenic Coast Guard initiated a major search and rescue effort.

According to a declaration by UN agencies, shipmasters and States are obligated to help mariners in need regardless of their nationality, status, or the environment in which they are discovered.

The statement said, “Any action taken with regard to search and rescue should be carried out in a manner consistent with the obligation to prevent loss of life at sea.”

According to testimony from roughly 30 survivors, and according to two Greek sources involved with police investigations, the old fishing boat departed Tobruk, Libya, early on June 10.

According to the two Greek reports, passengers paid USD 4,500 for their airfare to Italy. Approximately 20 women and children were among the passengers, according to some reports. An employee of the marine ministry claims that they made their reservation on social media.

Although traffickers had said there would be plenty of space on the ship, once passengers arrived at the location of the planned departure and saw it was packed, they were unable to turn around, according to those individuals.

The yacht had “two or three” technical issues during the course of the next several sea days.A coastguard boat that had been following them approached the boat as soon as it reported engine trouble and stalled.

Witnesses from the coast guard witnessed the boat tilt abruptly from right to left in less than 25 minutes. The boat left in ten to fifteen minutes.

It’s possible we’ll never know the exact number of casualties. The boat sunk in some of the Mediterranean’s deepest seas, where depths may reach over 5 km.

IOM and UNHCR appreciated the inquiry that Greece has commissioned into the events that ultimately caused the boat to capsize and result in the loss of so many lives.

UN organizations emphasized once again the moral and ethical need of maritime search and rescue.

It is obvious that the existing strategy for the Mediterranean is ineffective. Federico Soda, IOM Director for the Department of Emergencies, said that it remains the world’s most hazardous migration route with the greatest death rate year after year.

States must work together to close the gaps in prompt disembarkation, aggressive search and rescue, and safe regular paths, said Soda.