Suspected smugglers detained pending trial over migrant shipwreck off
Greece
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[June 21, 2023]
ATHENS (Reuters) -Nine men charged over the worst
shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea this year that killed at least 82
people were detained pending trial, the coastguard said on Wednesday,
while the European Union promised more funds and actions on migration.
Greece, which has come under increasing scrutiny over its response to
the June 12-13 disaster, is still searching the sea in the wider area,
though the chance of finding more survivors was seen as virtually nil.
The 20-30 metre long fishing boat packed with hundreds of migrants sank
off Greece's south-west coast in some of the deepest waters of the
Mediterranean, on a journey that started from Libya and was supposed to
end in Italy.
It was thought to be carrying up to 700 migrants from Egypt, Syria and
Pakistan, but only 104 people have been rescued. The coastguard
retrieved three more bodies on Monday, six days after the disaster, and
one on Tuesday, revising the death toll to 82.
Hundreds more are feared dead.
The suspected smugglers, all from Egypt and aged between 20 and 40
years, appeared before a prosecutor on Tuesday to respond to charges
that included manslaughter, setting up a criminal organisation, migrant
smuggling and causing a shipwreck.
They all denied any wrongdoing, according to state broadcaster ERT.
One of their lawyers said on Monday that his client was not a smuggler
but a victim who sought a better life in Europe and had paid to be taken
to Italy.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF SINKING STILL UNCLEAR
The ageing vessel was thought to have departed from Egypt, then picked
up passengers in the Libyan coastal city of Tobruk on June 10 before
setting sail for Italy. Greek authorities said survivors told them they
paid $4,500 each for the journey.
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Relatives and friends of refugees and
migrants who were onboard a boat that capsized at open sea off
Greece, seek information regarding survivors and missing people, at
the entrance of a reception and identification camp in Malakasa,
Greece, June 17, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas/File Photo
Greece was alerted by Italy over the boat's presence in its search
and rescue jurisdiction on June 12. The boat had been approached by
merchant vessels and shadowed by the Greek coastguard for several
hours before capsizing and sinking.
But the exact circumstances of the vessel sinking were still
unclear.
Kathimerini newspaper reported that survivors, who were summoned for
additional testimonies over the weekend, said for the first time
that the coastguard tried to tow their vessel.
Greek authorities said the boat repeatedly refused Greek help saying
it wanted to go to Italy. They have denied accounts that the boat
flipped after the coastguard attempted to tow it.
In Brussels, the European Union decided to earmark 15 billion euros
as part of its 2024-2027 budget to bolster migration policies.
The money would be used, among other things, to foster partnerships
with third countries, provide help to refugees in the Middle East
and react to humanitarian crises, EU Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen said.
"It is horrible what happened and the more urgent it is that we
act", von der Leyen said when asked about the shipwreck.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas and Karolina
Tagaris; Additional reporting by Tassilo Hummel in Brussels; editing
by Grant McCool and Alex Richardson)
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