78 drown, 100 rescued in Greece’s deadliest migrant shipwreck this year
- It was unclear how many passengers might still be in the water or trapped in the sunken vessel, but initial reports suggested hundreds may have been on board
- Authorities said 104 people were rescued after the boat sank overnight in international waters some 75 kilometres southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula
A fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank off the coast of Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 78 people dead and many dozens feared missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year.
Coastguard, navy and merchant vessels fanned out for a vast search-and-rescue operation that also included a plane and a helicopter.
Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far after the boat sank overnight in international waters some 75 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula. The spot is close to one of the deepest areas of the Mediterranean Sea.
It was unclear how many passengers might still be in the water or trapped in the sunken vessel, but some initial reports suggested hundreds of people may have been on board.
Four survivors were hospitalised with symptoms of hypothermia. At the southern port of Kalamata, dozens of others were taken to sheltered areas set up by the ambulance services and the United Nations Refugee Agency to receive dry clothes and medical attention.