According to the authorities, at least 59 people died in a serious boat accident off the Greek coast. The Coast Guard was able to save 104 people. It is unclear how many people were on board in total.
A large-scale search operation is ongoing involving Coast Guard patrol boats, the Luftwaffe, a Navy frigate, six freighters and other vessels in the area. The Coast Guard fears the death toll is much higher.
Already on Tuesday, Italian authorities informed their Greek neighbors about a fully occupied fishing boat in the Greek search and rescue area, the coast guard said. A Frontex aircraft then located the boat 47 nautical miles southwest of the Peloponnese peninsula.
Both the Greek Coast Guard and passing freighters had repeatedly offered the passengers help over the radio, but this was refused. The boat then capsized and finally sank in the early hours of the morning. According to survivors, it had set sail from Tobruk in Libya. Nothing is known about the nationalities of the people.
Also on Wednesday morning, south of Crete, a sailing boat occupied by migrants was in distress. Dozens of people were rescued there, the authorities said.
During the long journeys from Turkey or North Africa, there are always accidents because the boats are often old and unseaworthy. Also, there is usually no boatman on board who is trained for the dangerous journey. According to the UN, at least 326 people died in the region last year. However, the Coast Guard assumes that the number of unreported cases is higher.