Three people died in a boat accident in the Mediterranean Sea and at least twelve are still missing. In addition, a ship with 500 migrants on board has disappeared at sea. The search continues.
A boat carrying refugees capsized off the Greek island of Mykonos. Three people were killed and at least twelve are missing, according to the Greek coast guard. Accordingly, the bodies of two escaped women and a man were found in the Aegean Sea. Two men, a Syrian and a Palestinian, were rescued. According to them, there were about 17 people on the boat.
Coast Guard helicopters and boats, as well as passing boats and ships, continued the search, the Coast Guard said. The migrants are said to have left Turkey’s Aegean coast on Thursday.
Boat disappeared with 500 migrants
According to aid organizations, a ship with 500 migrants on board has also disappeared in the Mediterranean. Contact with the missing ship was lost on Wednesday morning, said the aid organization Alarm Phone, which takes distress calls from migrant boats.
After an engine failure, the boat was driven out to sea – around 320 kilometers from the Libyan port of Benghazi and more than 400 kilometers from Malta and Sicily. The Italian aid organization Emergency announced yesterday that two ships had been searching for the missing boat for 24 hours without success. The search continues, a spokesman said today. The migrants may have managed to repair the engine and head towards Sicily, or they may have been rescued by another ship. The Italian Coast Guard did not comment.
charity saves 88 people
88 people were rescued from another boat in the Mediterranean today. As the German aid organization SOS Humanity announced on Twitter, the crew of “Humanity 1” took the people out of an overcrowded wooden boat. More than ten minors were among those seeking protection. The refugees reportedly came from the Libyan city of Tobruk. They were exhausted but in stable medical condition, it said.
Most dangerous escape route in the world
In addition to the “Humanity 1”, the “Sea-Eye 4” is also currently in use in the central Mediterranean. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Mediterranean Sea is the most dangerous escape route in the world. In the first quarter of this year alone, 441 people died trying to cross the sea. A much higher number of unreported cases is suspected. In addition, thousands of people are missing. At least 72 people died in late February after their boat capsized off the southern Italian coast.