At least 59 migrants lost their lives this Wednesday when a fishing boat with hundreds of people on board sank in the Ionian Sea, a spokeswoman for the Greek Coast Guard confirmed to EFE, warning that “the number of deaths will probably increase further.”
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So far, 106 people have been rescued alive, four of them have been transferred with hypothermia by helicopter to the hospital in the city of Kalamata, about 250 kilometers southwest of Athens.
According to the local press, the Greek president, Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou, went to Kalamata to find out about what happened.
According to local media, at least 400 immigrants, of nationalities not yet determined, were on board the 30-meter-long vessel.
Ten vessels, a Navy frigate, a helicopter and a Frontex drone, the European Union (EU) border agency, are taking part in search and rescue operations.
The boat departed from eastern Libya and had Italy as its final destination, and sank this morning southwest of the Peloponnese peninsula after capsizing, authorities reported.
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The fishing vessel had been located yesterday at noon sailing in international waters south of the Greek peninsula, according to a statement issued by the Coast Guard.
In the afternoon, a coast guard vessel approached to offer assistance as it had spotted a large number of people on the outer deck of the ship.
According to the statement, those who were on board denied the help and expressed that they wanted to continue on their way to Italy.
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A few hours after the incident, the coast guard rescued another 80 migrants from a drifting sailboat in the south of the island of Crete.
Human smuggling networks have been using large vessels for years, such as sailing and fishing boats, to head from Turkey or Libya to the southern Italian mainland, from where migrants and refugees have easier access to Central European countries.
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Last Sunday, the Greek authorities rescued 90 migrants in the southern Peloponnese who were aboard a boat that was adrift.
EFE
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