A humanitarian disaster unfolded off the coast of Greece, with seventeen migrants confirmed dead and fifteen still missing after a boat carrying thirty-four people sank near the island of Crete. Only two passengers survived.
Local authorities in Greece reported that most of those on board were from Sudan and Egypt.
According to the two survivors, the boat had no covers, food, or drinking water. Rough seas caused it to lose balance before sinking amid severe weather that struck Crete and other parts of Greece for two days.
The Greek state broadcaster said the victims’ bodies are undergoing post-mortem examinations to determine the causes of death, noting that hypothermia or dehydration may have led to some of the fatalities inside the boat.
The vessel was first spotted last Saturday afternoon by a Turkish cargo ship, prompting the deployment of two coastguard vessels, a third from the European agency Frontex, a Super Puma helicopter, a European aircraft, and three passing ships as part of the search and rescue operation.
Greek media quoted a local official as saying that all the victims were young and that the boat had deflated on both sides, forcing the passengers into a cramped space.
The engine failure and the storms, accompanied by heavy rain, caused the boat to sink during its journey, which began last Wednesday from the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya. It went down twenty-six nautical miles southwest of Crete.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), a spokesperson for the coastguard said the survivors reported that ten people fell into the sea, while the remaining bodies were found inside the boat, which had been taking on water.
The spokesperson added that search operations are still under way under the supervision of the coastguard.
READ: Over 250,000 families in Gaza endure severe hardships in displacement camps after heavy rain