The migrant boat had 117 people on board; Photo: File
Athens: The migrant boat overturned in the sea of Greece, as a result of which the bodies of 79 drowned people were recovered while 104 migrants were rescued.
According to the World News Agency, the migrant boat in the sea of Greece could not withstand the strong winds and high waves due to overcrowding. The boat lost balance and overturned.
More than 700 people were on board the boat, most of them drowned in the water. As soon as the incident was reported, a rescue operation was started with military aircraft, helicopter and 6 boats.
Rescue personnel pulled 104 people out of the sea safely while 79 people died. The condition of 1 dozen of those who were rescued is said to be critical and they have been transferred to the hospital by helicopter.
A Coast Guard spokesman says the accident occurred in the Ionian Sea. No one in the boat was wearing a life jacket. The process of identifying the migrants from the boat accident is going on. Apparently, the migrants were on their way to Italy from Libya.
The President and the Prime Minister of Greece have expressed regret for the loss of human lives in the boat accident, while the President visited the injured in the hospital and instructed them to receive the best treatment.
Reacting to the tragedy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, former prime minister and leader of the New Democracy Party, said, “This incident highlights in a very dramatic way the fact that migrants are an issue that Europe needs a coherent policy for. There is a need to make, steps should be taken as soon as possible to prevent human trafficking by offering the lure of a good life.
The leader of the opposition party, Alexis Tsipras, said, “This incident teaches us that we should give priority to people without color and race and solve their problems.” He said that all possible steps should be taken as soon as possible to find the missing persons.
In another incident, the Greek coast guard rescued a sailboat carrying 80 migrants after it was caught in a whirlpool. The boat was towed to port.
It should be noted that Greece has long been the main landing point for thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East who want to reach Europe.
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