Hundreds feared dead as search continues for missing migrants after fishing boat sinks off Greece
A massive search operation is continuing for “hundreds” of missing migrants after at least 78 drowned when a fishing boat sank off the coast of Greece.
Officials said 104 survivors were rescued after the vessel capsized about 50 miles from the southern coastal town of Pylos.
But charity Alarm Phone, which operates a network supporting rescue operations and received frantic calls from some of those on board, said up to 750 people may have been on the vessel.
Greek officials said the boat got into difficulties when its engine stopped and it began veering from side to side.
It then capsized and sank at around 2am on Wednesday.
Shortly beforehand, Alarm Phone said it spoke to someone on board who said: “The captain left on a small boat. Please, any solution.”
They also pleaded for food and water, and said the vessel had stopped moving, according to the charity.
A survivor being cared for by medical staff after being brought ashore in Kalamata, Greece
The search for survivors continued on Thursday morning and is expected to last until at least Friday, Greek authorities said.
Six coastguard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport plane, an air force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, are taking part in the operation.
Officials said it was unlikely the sunken boat would be recovered because the area of international waters is one of the deepest in the Mediterranean.
Three days of national mourning have been declared by the Greek government.
But Alarm Phone accused the Greek and other European authorities of failing to launch a rescue operation before the boat went down, despite being “well aware of this overcrowded and unseaworthy vessel”.
The Greek coastguard denied the claim and said those on board “refused our assistance because they wanted to go to Italy”.
Spokesperson Nikos Alexiou added that they still stayed nearby “in case it needed our assistance which they had refused”.
Survivors were brought to the port city of Kalamata by the coastguard early on Thursday. Many are being treated for conditions including hypothermia and dehydration.
Aerial pictures released by the Greek coastguard showed the 20 to 30-metre-long boat hours before it sank.
Dozens of people on the upper and lower decks were seen looking up, some with arms outstretched.
Witnesses said many more women and children were below in the hold, according to local reports.
Greek authorities, who initially said 79 people had died before later revising the figure down to 78, said they could not confirm how many people were on board.
The UN’s International Organisation for Migration said initial reports suggested there were up to 400 people on the vessel.
The boat is thought to have set off from the Libyan port of Tobruk and was heading to Italy.
Greek authorities said most of the migrants were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan.
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It comes as Libyan authorities launch a major crackdown on migrants, with several thousand – including Egyptians, Syrians, Sudanese and Pakistanis – detained.
Many Egyptians have been deported to their home country through a land crossing point.
The region is one of the main routes into Europe for refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
The UN said there have been more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world.
World
Major wildfire on Greek island of Chios leads to evacuations – as officials warn ‘situation remains critical’
Nearly 200 firefighters are battling a major wildfire on the Greek island of Chios.
The fire started on Sunday in three separate locations near the main town, which is also called Chios. The flames were fanned by strong winds and turned into one large blaze.
Local media footage and photos showed firefighters battling towering flames burning through woodland and farmland as night fell. Power cuts have also been reported.
Greek authorities sent fresh evacuation notifications for two areas near Chios town on Monday morning.
People watch a wildfire approaching. Pic: Politischios.gr /AP
Push alerts have been sent to mobile phones in the area urging people to evacuate a total of 16 villages, settlements and neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the town.
“The situation remains critical as firefighting forces are still dealing with many active fronts, several of which being near hamlets,” a Greek government spokesman said.
The fire department said 190 firefighters were trying to control the fire on Monday, with strong winds hampering their efforts.
Pic: Politischios/AP
Some 35 vehicles, five helicopters and two water-dropping planes were also involved in the effort.
A specialist fire department arson investigation team has been sent to the eastern Aegean island to look into the causes.
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Wildfires are common during Greece’s hot, dry summers but authorities have said climate change is fuelling bigger and more frequent blazes.
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Last year, hundreds of tourists and residents were forced to flee wildfires on the holiday island of Kos.
In 2023, forest fires killed at least 20 people in the north of the country and forced 19,000 people to flee the island of Rhodes.
World
22 killed after suicide bomber opens fire at church in Syria – and then detonates explosive vest
At least 22 people have been killed after a suicide bomber opened fire at a church in Syria – and then detonated an explosive vest.
This is the first such incident since Bashar al Assad was toppled in December, and officials claim the attacker was a member of Islamic State.
It happened at a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus, with estimates suggesting that 350 worshippers were praying there at the time.
Pic: White Helmets via Reuters
Witnesses said the perpetrator had his face covered when he began shooting – and blew himself up as crowds attempted to remove him from the building.
A security source told Reuters that two men were involved in the attack, with a priest saying he saw a second gunman at the entrance.
Officials say 63 people were injured, and children were among the casualties.
Syria’s information minister, Hamza Mostafa, condemned the terrorist attack – writing on X: “This cowardly act goes against the civic values that bring us together.
“We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship… and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organisations.”
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Pic: Reuters
Reports suggest that IS has attempted to attack several churches in Syria since Assad fell, but this is the first time they have succeeded.
Footage filmed by Syria’s civil defence, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction inside the church – including bloodied floors and shattered pews.
The Greek foreign ministry says it “unequivocally condemns the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing”, and called on Syria “to guarantee the safety” of Christians with new measures.
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