At least 78 migrants drown as packed boat ‘carrying 700’ sinks off Greek coast before 300ft megayacht rescues 100 from the Med
- Greek authorities said that more than 100 people had been rescued from the sea
- The boat capsized in one of the deepest areas of the Mediterranean Sea
- Rescued by Mayan Queen IV yacht owned by late billionaire Alberto Baillères
At least 78 migrants have drowned after a packed boat reportedly carrying 700 sunk off the Greek coast before a 300ft megayacht rescued more than 100 survivors from the Mediterranean Sea.
The victims, understood to predominantly be men from Afghanistan and Pakistan, drowned when the boat capsized off Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula, leading to the deadliest migrant shipwreck in the country this year.
Coast guard, 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 one of the deepest areas of the Mediterranean some 75 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Peloponnese.
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.
At least 78 migrants have drowned after a packed boat reportedly carrying up to 700 sunk off the Greek coast before a 300ft megayacht (pictured) rescued 100 survivors from the Med
Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far after the boat sank overnight. Pictured: Survivors receiving urgent medical attention
Coast guard, navy and merchant vessels fanned out for a vast search-and-rescue operation that also included a plane and a helicopter.
The Coast Guard said that the migrants rejected help, refusing food and other supplies, when they got into trouble.
However, scores of migrants that were ultimately rescued were seen arriving into the port of Kalamata on the 306ft Mayan Queen IV yacht owned by the late Mexican billionaire Alberto Baillères.
Harrowing images showed medics rushing the survivors off the yacht onto stretchers, while others walked around bare foot and draped in blankets.
The $175million (£137.9m) megayacht, which was built by Blohm and Voss, was launched in 2008 and can carry up to 16 guests and 24 crewmembers.
The Mayan Queen IV came under the spotlight in August 2018 when 20-year-old Australian Instagram model and crew member Sinead McNamara was found hanging from the back of the billionaire’s superyacht in Greece.
The Greek coast guard said 78 bodies have been recovered so far from the overnight tragedy.
Four survivors were hospitalized 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.
The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya which has plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Human traffickers have benefited from the ensuing instability, and made Libya one of the main departure points for people attempting to reach Europe on smuggler’s boats.
The Italy-bound boat carrying migrants is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya
Survivors were seen draped in blankets with no shoes on as they safely returned to land following the shocking incident
Greek medics urgently took survivors away from the yacht on stretchers to try and save their lives
The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, about the approaching vessel on Tuesday.
The United Nations migration agency, IOM, said initial reports suggested up to 400 people were on board. A network of activists said it received a distress call from a boat in the same area whose passengers said 750 people were on board – but it was not clear if that was the vessel that sank.
After that first alert, Frontex aircraft and two merchant ships spotted the boat heading north at high speed, according to the Greek coast guard. More aircraft and ships were sent to the area.
But repeated calls to the vessel offering help were declined, the coast guard said in a statement.
‘In the afternoon a merchant vessel approached the ship and provided it with food and supplies, while the (passengers) refused any further assistance,’ it said. A second merchant ship that approached it later offered further supplies and assistance, which were turned down, it added.
In the evening, a coast guard patrol boat reached the vessel ‘and confirmed the presence of a large number of migrants on the deck,’ the statement said. ‘But they refused any assistance and said they wanted to continue to Italy.’
The Mayan Queen IV yacht (pictured), which was built by Blohm and Voss, was launched in 2008 and can carry up to 16 guests and 24 crewmembers
Ambulances and rescue crews wait for the arrival of migrants at the port of Kalamata
There are unconfirmed reports that there were more than 700 migrants on the vessel which sunk in the ocean
Survivors of the devastating shipwreck rest at a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town
The coast guard boat accompanied the migrant vessel, which, the statement said, capsized and sank early Wednesday, prompting a massive rescue operation by all the ships in the area.
Alarm Phone, a network of activists that provides a hotline for migrants in trouble, meanwhile, said it was contacted by people on a boat in distress on Tuesday afternoon. That boat was in the same general area as the one that sank, but it was not clear if it was the same vessel.
The organization notified Greek authorities and Frontex. In one communication with Alarm Phone, migrants reported the vessel was overcrowded and that the captain had abandoned the ship on a small boat, according to the group. They asked for food and water, which was provided by a merchant ship.
When they have larger boats, Mediterranean smugglers are increasingly trying to stay in international waters as they pass by Greece to try to avoid its coast guard patrols.
On Sunday, 90 migrants on a US-flagged yacht were rescued in the area after they made a distress call.
Six Greek coast guard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport plane, an air force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from Frontex are currently taking part in the search for the boat that sank Wednesday.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou headed for the area where rescued migrants are being tended to and planned campaign events by political parties ahead of June 25 national elections were called off.
Separately Wednesday, a yacht with 81 migrants on board was towed to a port on the south coast of Greece’s island of Crete after authorities received a distress call.
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