Greece continued the search for survivors on Thursday, a day after a fishing boat overloaded with migrants capsized and sank in the Ionian Sea. The country has declared three days of mourning for the victims.

A rescue operation with patrol boats, a helicopter and six other ships is underway in the waters west of the Peloponnese peninsula, one of the deepest areas in the Mediterranean.

So far 104 people have been rescued but there are fears that hundreds more are missing, based on testimony from the survivors and the fact that no women and children were among them.

The Greek coastguard said 78 bodies had been recovered so far, amending a toll of 79 deaths given Wednesday.

The coastguard brought half of the victims to Kalamata on Wednesday, and a Greek navy frigate is expected to bring the remaining bodies later Thursday.

Horrific situation

“It’s really horrific,” UNHCR staffer Erasmia Roumana told AFP at the port of Kalamata, adding that the survivors were “in a very bad psychological situation”.

“Many are under shock, they are so overwhelmed,” she said. “Many of them worry about the people they travelled with, families or friends. They want to call their families and tell them that they arrived.”

Government spokesman Ilias Siakantaris on Wednesday said there were unconfirmed reports that up to 750 people were on the boat.

He said the boat’s engine gave up shortly before 2300 GMT on Tuesday and the vessel capsized, sinking in around 10 to 15 minutes.

“We do not know what was in the hold… but we know that several smugglers lock people up to maintain control,” he told state TV ERT.

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“The fishing boat was 25-30 metres long. Its deck was full of people, and we assume the interior was just as full,” coastguard spokesman Nikolaos Alexiou told ERT.

Greece’s coast guard said it was notified by Italian authorities of the trawler’s presence in international waters. It said efforts by its own ships and merchant vessels to assist the boat were repeatedly rejected, with people on board insisting they wanted to continue to Italy.

Victims of ruthless smugglers

The survivors are mainly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan, the coastguard said, and are temporarily housed in a port warehouse to be identified and interviewed by Greek authorities, who are looking for possible smugglers among them.

Eight people are being questioned in connection with the accident.

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The office of interim prime minister Ioannis Sarmas declared three days of mourning, adding that the nation’s thoughts were “with all the victims of ruthless smugglers who take advantage of human misfortune.”

Acting migration minister Daniel Esdras told ERT that the survivors will be taken to a migrant camp near Athens.

“We hope to transfer them this afternoon or tomorrow morning at the latest,” he said, adding that those found not to be entitled to protection will be sent home.

Tragedy

Along with Italy and Spain, Greece has been one of the main landing points for tens of thousands of people seeking to reach Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply saddened by the news” and “very concerned by the number of missing people.”

“We must continue to work together, with member states and third countries, to prevent such tragedies,” she said.

“We are witnessing one of the biggest tragedies in the Mediterranean, and the numbers announced by the authorities are devastating,” said Gianluca Rocco, head of the Greek section of IOM, the UN migration agency.

(with wires)

Originally published on RFI