The sinking of a boat off the coast of Greece has killed at least 82 people. Since then, many questions have been raised about the various responsibilities regarding this tragedy.
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Greece ignored an offer from the European Border Agency Frontex for air assistance before the sinking of the migrant boat which left at least 82 dead and hundreds missing off the coast of Greece, Frontex assured Monday June 26. AFP. The sinking of this overloaded boat raised many questions about the chain of custody.
“Frontex offered additional air support to the Greek authorities on June 13, but received no response”, said the press service of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency based in Warsaw. Earlier on the day of the tragedy, the Italian coordination center (MRCC) had ordered the Frontex aircraft to search for the fishing vessel at 8:33 GMT (10:33 am Paris time). The latter was spotted at 9:47 GMT, according to Frontex.
“The plane watched the fishing boat for 10 minutes before being forced to return to base to refuel”, explains Frontex. Ten days ago, the Agency had already indicated that it had proposed to the Greeks to send a drone to patrol without delay above the Aegean Sea. The Greek authorities had however given instructions to deploy this drone on another rescue in southern Crete where 80 people were in danger, according to Frontex.