Only 104 people were pulled alive from the sea off Pylos, Greece, after the fishing trawler Adriana went down on June 14, 2023. Greek officials put the death toll at more than 500, though they said they would never be certain of the number.
The boat was bound for Italy from Tobruk, Libya, where it left on June 10. Its capacity was 400 people. Estimates of those aboard ran from 400 to 750, mostly from Pakistan, Syria, Palestine and Egypt, with some from Afghanistan. Survivors told media that more than 700 were on board and that around 100 children were in the hold. The UN migration agency IOM said the boat carried as many as 750 people.
The vessel sank around 50 miles (80 km) off the coast of Pylos, in international waters, an area where the sea is among the deepest in the Mediterranean. Rescuers recovered 78 bodies in the first days; a later count stood at 82. The survivors were all boys and men from Egypt, Pakistan, Syria and the Palestinian territories. About 26 were treated in hospital, mainly for hypothermia.
A day of refused help, according to the coast guard
An activist, Nawal Soufi, posted at 9:55 a.m. on June 13 that the boat was in distress. By her account, migrants aboard had told her six people were dead. Around 11:00 a.m. the Italian coast guard alerted Greek authorities and the EU border agency Frontex.
The Hellenic Coast Guard says its ships and passing merchant vessels offered help several times, and that passengers declined each time because they wanted to reach Italy. Spokesman Nikos Alexiou said offers were made by radio and loudspeaker. He argued that towing the overcrowded boat, or moving hundreds of unwilling people onto other ships, would have been too dangerous. “You will have a disturbance, and the people will surge, which, unfortunately is what happened in the end,” he told state broadcaster ERT. The tanker Lucky Sailor brought food and water. Its managers said those aboard “were very hesitant to receive any assistance.”
Because the trawler was in international waters, the coast guard said it could only step in once the boat was in distress and capsized.
Questions about the response
Critics were quick to challenge that account. Professor Erik Røsæg of the University of Oslo said Greek authorities “had a duty to start rescue procedures” given the condition of the vessel. Adriana Tidona of Amnesty International called it “a tragedy of unimaginable proportions, all the more so because it was entirely preventable.”
By July 2023, investigations by the BBC, the New York Times, The Guardian, ARD/NDR/Funk and the Greek outlet Solomon had cast doubt on the coast guard’s version. Based on survivor interviews, court documents and coast guard sources, they found evidence suggesting the coast guard vessel may have caused the boat to capsize while trying to tow it. The coast guard denies that and blamed a “commotion” on board. The European Ombudsman is looking into whether Frontex and the coast guard took steps to prevent the shipwreck.
Greek officials said the vessel capsized minutes after losing power, and speculated that panic may have tipped it over. A judicial investigation was opened.
Arrests and reaction
Nine Egyptian men, aged 20 to 40, were arrested and charged on June 16 with people smuggling and taking part in a criminal enterprise. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “This is a European problem.” The UN migration and refugee agencies jointly called timely maritime rescue “a legal and humanitarian imperative.”
Abdo Sheikhi, a Kurdish Syrian living in Germany, went to Kalamata looking for five relatives who had been on board. Two survived. His brother Ali told him he had jumped off the ship while the others, frightened, held on as it swayed.
Sources
- 2023 Pylos migrant boat disaster – Wikipedia
- Over 500 feared dead, including many children, as migrant boat sinks
- Over 500 Feared Dead in Mediterranean Migrant Boat Sinking
Sources
- 2023 Pylos migrant boat disaster – Wikipedia
- Over 500 feared dead, including many children, as migrant boat sinks
