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.
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.
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.
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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.
Hopes of finding survivors are fading in Kalamata
Some 104 people were rescued from the sinking boat, all of them men.
It hasn’t yet been confirmed that women and children were onboard, but the fear is that they were being kept below deck and so were dragged down with the boat when it capsized.
Some people have said there were 775 people onboard. However, the deputy mayor of Kalamata, the town where the rescued have been brought to, told us he thinks it was around 550 judging by the size of the boat.
Either way, the number of missing is still huge and it’s unlikely many, if any, will now be found alive.
The survivors are being looked after by Greek authorities and aid agencies, in a warehouse by the waterside in Kalamata. Some are being treated in hospital for hypothermia but most are suffering from dehydration and mental trauma.
Later they will be taken to a nearby migrant holding centre, but for now the search operation continues and the weather remains good.
The ship reportedly sank in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean, making a salvage operation very tricky.
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.
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.
Donald Trump has threatened sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on his first day in office.
The president-elect, who takes office on 20 January next year, said he would introduce a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico.
Posting on his Truth Social platform he also threatened an additional 10% tariff on goods from China on top of any he might impose as one of his first executive orders.
If implemented, the tariffs could raise prices for ordinary American consumers on everything from petrol to cars and agricultural products.
The US is the largest importer of goods worldwide and Mexico, China and Canada are its top three suppliers according to the country’s census data.
More than 83% of exports from Mexico went to the US in 2023 and 75% of Canadian exports go to the country.
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“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” Mr Trump said.
He also spoke against an influx of illegal immigrants heading into the country.
While migrant arrests reached a record high during President Joe Biden’s administration, illegal crossings fell dramatically this year as new border restrictions were introduced and Mexico stepped up enforcement.
Mr Trump added: “Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power… and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!”
After issuing his tariff threat, Mr Trump spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and they were said to have discussed trade and border security.
“It was a good discussion and they will stay in touch,” a Canadian source said.
Turning to China, the president-elect said he “had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States – But to no avail”.
“Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America,” he wrote.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said there would be losers on all sides if there is a trade war.
“China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu posted on X. “No one will win a trade war or a tariff war.”
It is not clear if Mr Trump will actually go through with the threats.
He won the recent election in part due to voter frustration over inflation and high prices.
Mr Trump’s nominee for treasury secretary Scott Bessent – who if confirmed, would be one of a number of officials responsible for tariffs – has said previously that tariffs are a means of negotiation.
Conor McGregor has spoken out after losing a civil rape case as a feminist march was held in Dublin.
The MMA fighter was accused of raping Nikita Hand, who was awarded €248,603 (£206,000) in damages on Friday after a jury at Dublin’s High Court found McGregor assaulted her in a Dublin hotel in 2018.
Posting on social media, the 36-year-old said: “I know I made mistakes”.
It comes as hundreds of people in Dublin staged a demonstration in “utter solidarity” with Ms Hand.
Posting on X, McGregor said: “People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.
“As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.
“I can’t go back and I will move forward. I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side.
“That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym- the fight game awaits!”
Speaking outside court after the decision, an emotional Ms Hand said the two-week-long civil case had been a “nightmare” but that “justice has been served”.
“It’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life,” she added.
In Dublin on Monday night, a march in support of Ms Hand was organised by the socialist feminist movement group Rosa to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Participants chanted “stand with Nikita” and “no more fear, no more shaming, we reject your victim blaming” as they carried signs and banners through the capital’s streets.
Ruth Coppinger, a councillor and general election candidate, and Natasha O’Brien, who became a public figure after a soldier received a suspended sentence for assaulting her, both spoke at the event.
Ms Coppinger said Ms Hand was “an incredibly brave woman” and that she was watching the event via a live stream.
Ms O’Brien was cheered as she said she’d been “in awe” of Ms Hand’s courage and that Ireland had let out a collective “sigh of relief” after the jury found in Ms Hand’s favour.
McGregor was accused of having “brutally raped and battered” Ms Hand.
She was taken in an ambulance to the Rotunda Hospital the following day where the paramedic who assessed her told the court she had not seen “someone so bruised” in a long time.
Following eight days of evidence, and three days of closing speeches and the judge’s instructions to the jury, the jury of eight women and four men spent six hours and ten minutes deliberating before returning their verdict.
Twelve British soldiers were injured in a major traffic pile-up in Estonia, close to the border with Russia, local media have reported.
Eight of the troops – part of a major NATO mission to deter Russian aggression – were airlifted back to the UK for hospital treatment on Sunday after the incident, which happened in snowy conditions on Friday, it is understood.
Five of these personnel have since been discharged with three still being kept in the military wing of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
The crash happened at an intersection at around 5pm on Friday when the troops were travelling in three minibuses back to their base at Tapa.
Two civilian cars, driven by Estonians, are thought to have collided, triggering a chain reaction, with four other vehicles – comprising the three army Toyota minibuses and a third civilian car – piling into each other.
According to local media reports, the cars that initially collided were a Volvo S80, driven by a 37-year-old woman and a BMW 530D, driven by a 62-year-old woman.
The Estonian Postimees news site reported that 12 British soldiers were injured as well as five civilians. They were all taken to hospital by ambulance.
The British troops are serving in Estonia as part of Operation Cabrit, the UK’s contribution to NATO’s “enhanced forward presence” mission, which spans nations across the alliance’s eastern flank and is designed to deter attacks from Russia.
Around 900 British troops are deployed in Estonia, including a unit of Challenger 2 tanks.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: “Several British soldiers deployed on Operation CABRIT in Estonia were injured in a road traffic incident last Friday, 22nd November.
“Following hospital treatment in Estonia, eight personnel were flown back to the UK on an RAF C-17 for further treatment.
“Five have since been discharged and three are being cared for at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. We wish them all a speedy recovery.”
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “Following the road traffic incident involving British personnel in Estonia, my thoughts are with all those affected, and I wish those injured a full, swift recovery.
“Thanks to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for their excellent care.”