A fishing boat filled with migrants capsized and sank Wednesday off the coast of Greece leaving 79 dead and many more missing, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The 80- to 100-foot trawler was bursting at the gunwales with migrants as seen in aerial photos, the AP reported. The trawler’s engines failed and the boat ultimately lost balance and foundered around the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea. The migrants had repeatedly refused help from the Greek coast guard and other vessels, insisting on voyaging to Italy, before the engine failure and eventual sinking. (RELATED: NYC Sues Counties For Rejecting Illegal Immigrants Bussed In By Eric Adams)
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The migrants included people from Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Pakistan, according to Sky News. A total of 104 people were reported to have been rescued, with multiple taken to hospital for intensive care.
Coast Guard ships, aircrafts and navy and merchant vessels are involved in the search-and-rescue operation that will stretch through the night, according to the AP.
Ioannis Sarmas, Greek caretaker prime minister, slammed the “ruthless smugglers who exploit human unhappiness” and declared three days of national mourning, according to the AP.
The Central Mediterranean route, used by the migrants, is the deadliest migration route in the world, with over 21,000 deaths and disappearances since 2014, according to the United Nations Missing Migrants Project.