At least 78 dead after migrant boat capsizes off Greek coast

ATHENS – The number of migrants who died after their boat capsized off the Greek coast has risen to 78, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported Wednesday, citing the coastguard.

So far, 104 people have been rescued. Some who were on board said as many as 400 people may have been on the vessel at the time.

Rescuers feared the death toll would rise as large-scale efforts continue, involving coastguard patrol boats, the air force, a navy frigate and six freighters as well as other ships in the region.

“We’re hearing numbers that we’re afraid to say out loud at all,” a reporter from the state broadcaster said.

Whether victims could have been rescued at all is considered questionable. The boat is said to have sunk quickly. Many people were cooped up below deck and may not have been able to escape to the outside.

The authorities referred to statements by survivors, who said a good 400 people could have been on board.

The accident site is near the deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea, the so-called Calypso Deep, which extends about 3 miles to the sea floor.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou flew to the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday to assess the situation.

Four hospitals were on alert to treat those who were injured among the people rescued.

Italian authorities notified their Greek counterparts on Tuesday to report that a fishing boat full of people had entered the Greek search and rescue area, according to a statement by the coastguard.

An aircraft from the EU border agency Frontex then located the boat some 47 nautical miles southwest of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece.

The Greek coastguard and nearby freighters had repeatedly offered to help the passengers by radio, but their offers were initially refused.

According to media reports, the vessel then capsized and sank in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Survivors said it had set sail from Tobruk in Libya and was en route to Italy.

The migrants are said to be people from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria, among others. The passengers said the group included pregnant women and small children.

The vessel was one of two boats carrying migrants that ran into difficulties, off the Peloponnese peninsula and south of Crete respectively, ERT state radio reported earlier.

Dozens of passengers aboard another boat were rescued south of Crete after their sailing boat ran into difficulties.