Death Toll in Greek Migrant Tragedy Rises; Suspects are Detained

While Pakistan detained a dozen suspects in connection with the disaster, the presumed smugglers of numerous migrants who perished in a Mediterranean Sea shipwreck last week are expected to answer manslaughter charges in a Greek court this week.

Following the discovery of two more bodies on Monday, Greece’s confirmed death toll now stands at 80 after a fishing boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized off its south-west coast last week during a voyage that began in Libya and was intended to end in Italy.

There are only 104 known survivors

Some News Agencies reported that nine suspected smugglers from Egypt who are held in Greek custody requested and received approval for postponing their arraignment hearing to Tuesday morning.

According to one of the solicitors, his client denied being a smuggler and claimed to be a victim who had paid to be transported to Italy.

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Due to financial hardships, the man left his country in search of a better life in Europe, according to the attorney Athanasios Iliopoulos.

Even though it was believed that there was almost no chance of finding any additional survivors, Greece was still searching the sea on Monday. In some of the Mediterranean’s deepest waters, the boat capsized.

The victims are reportedly from Egypt, Pakistan, and Syria. There may be hundreds more dead.

Greece’s response to the tragedy, which occurred despite the boat being closely watched by its coastguard for several hours, has come under increasing scrutiny.

After estimating at least 21 victims from the Koti district in the Pakistan-administrated portion of the Himalayan Kashmir region, Pakistan declared a national day of mourning on Monday. Initial investigation, according to the report, indicated that the boat was carrying about 800 people.

At least 400 people, according to other estimates, were on board.

In Pakistan, 14 people have been detained on suspicion of alleged human trafficking.

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On June 10, the boat is believed to have left Tobruk, a coastal city in Libya, carrying passengers.

According to Greek authorities, the ship flipped and capsized about 25 minutes after its engine stalled in the early hours of June 14. They had been monitoring it for about 15 hours after receiving a warning from Italy.

According to authorities, the ship repeatedly declined Greek assistance, claiming it wanted to go to Italy.

Alarm Phone, an advocacy group that contacted the ship, reported at least two requests for help. Hours before the disaster, the group informed Greek authorities and aid organisations.

Greek authorities also refuted claims that the ship had been at anchor for several hours, asserting that it had travelled about 30 nautical miles from the time it was discovered until it sank.

That would indicate that the boat was moving slowly over the course of the 15 hours.

Since survivors were brought to a facility for migrants north of Athens on Friday, family members have been showing photos of the missing through the camp gates in the hopes that someone will recognise them.

“I’m trying to locate my brother. After reuniting with a nephew who survived, 54-year-old Mohamed El Sayed El-Dadamony Radwan, who had travelled from Germany, said, “I want to see where the boat sank to try to find him.”

On his phone, Radwan displayed a picture of his missing brother. He stated, “I want to look for him because I can’t find (his name), neither in the list of survivors nor in the hospital records of those who died.

Syrian teenager Mohammad Hadhoud, 18, who survived the accident, and his older brother Fadi, who they had first seen through a metal barricade in the coastal city of Kalamata on Friday, had an emotional reunion on Sunday.

At Malakasa, Mohammad threw himself into his brother’s arms as they both sobbed and embraced one another for some time. According to Fadi, their brother-in-law perished in the shipwreck.

Some people still hadn’t heard about their loved ones.