Migrants: another tragedy that risks turning into one of the worst massacres in the Mediterranean

Migrants: another tragedy that risks turning into one of the worst massacres in the Mediterranean

Another sea tragedy that risks turning into one of the worst massacres in the Mediterranean: a fishing boat overloaded with hundreds of migrants, perhaps up to '750', leaving from Tobruk, Libya, to reach Italy, capsized in the Aegean waters, 47 nautical miles from Pylos in the southern Peloponnese.
And after a day of searches and rescues - not without complaints from NGOs accusing Athens of 'not having started the rescue operation' - 79 bodies were recovered and 104 people were rescued.

With the risk that the outcome of this new tragedy will turn into a massacre.
"The outside of the ship was full of people, we suspect the same goes for the inside." explains Nikolaos Alexiou, commander and spokesperson of the Greek coast guard, while stating that “we cannot give an exact number with certainty, but the number is certainly very high".

At least 400, according to the IOM, but according to the first reconstructions of the survivors who were on board the vessel "the number of passengers was 750", says the governor of the Peloponnese region, Panagiotis Nikas.

The same number provided by Alarm phone, which had already been contacted yesterday to report a vessel in difficulty. A plane from the European agency Frontex had also spotted the fishing vessel around midday yesterday and "subsequently by two patrol boats, without requesting assistance", says the Greek Coast Guard: the "migrants then refused any assistance and declared that they wanted to continue the journey towards Italy", claim the Greeks.
But, in a statement, Alarm phone denies this reconstruction, claiming that the Hellenic Coast Guard had "been alerted at 16.53pm" as well as "the Greek and other European authorities".

So “they were well aware of this overcrowded and inadequate vessel” but – reports the center responsible for receiving emergency calls – “a rescue operation was not launched”, while “the Hellenic Coast Guard began to justify the failure to rescue by claiming that the people in difficulty did not want to be rescued in Greece”.

Crucial hours would thus have been lost - according to Alarm Phone - until the shipwreck, with the rescue operations and the recovery of 104 people brought to safety in Kalamata by the Mayan Queen IV yacht, flying the Cayman flag. Alexiou explains that the rescuers continue “to operate off the coast of Pylos and will continue to do so even at night, with the assistance of the Air Force C-130”.

The hopes of finding survivors, however, fade with each passing hour. According to initial information, the people came from Syria, Pakistan, Egypt and among them, the rescuers say, there were also women and children crammed into the holds.

According to initial reports, none of them were wearing a life jacket.

The leaders of the European Union express their condolences at the news. The president of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen she said to herself “deeply saddened” and “very concerned about the number of missing people”, emphasizing the the need to "continue working together, with Member States and third countries, to prevent these tragedies".

The President of the European Council Charles Michel speaks of "a heartbreaking reminder that we must put an end to the unscrupulous business of traffickers", announcing that "EU leaders will address the issue at their summit in June".

The comment of the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs was harsher, however, ylva johansson, which explains how the shipwreck “is a sign of the fact that our migration policy is not working well at the moment”, hoping that it will be changed with the new Migration and Asylum Pact. “The seven-year stalemate is over,” Johansson explained, defending the work of NGOs: “They are different from each other but in general they do a great job and save lives.” And those who migrate "in search of a better life deserve safety and dignity", echoes Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN.

The journeys of hope, however, continue. And while another 80 migrants were saved, again in Greece, in Crete, The landings also continue in Lampedusa where 20 arrived yesterday, including 2 women, after being rescued by the Guardia di Finanza. They would have originated from Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Mali and would have sailed from Sfax in Tunisia. Another 23 arrived in Augusta, in the province of Syracuse, after having been adrift in the Strait of Sicily.