Traffickers had promised ample room on the vessel, but once passengers arrived at the scheduled departure point and saw it was overcrowded it was impossible to turn back, those sources said. They booked their voyage on social media, according to a maritime ministry official. Based on some accounts, there were about 20 women and children among the passengers. Passengers paid $4,500 for passage to Italy, the two Greek sources said.

Two Greek sources familiar with police inquiries say that, based on accounts from about 30 survivors, the aging fishing vessel left Tobruk, in Libya, early on June 10. A migrant charity says a person they were in contact with on the boat said it was in distress, but Greek authorities say it repeatedly refused offers of help.įollowing are some details from the accounts say far: LEAVING LIBYA It capsized at around 2300 GMT that day.Įxactly what happened in the intervening 15 hours remains unclear. Authorities rescued 104 people but hundreds are feared missing, with some witnesses saying up to 750 people were aboard.Īccording to timelines from authorities and activists, the Greek coastguard was alerted to the presence of the vessel 47 nautical miles (87 km) south west of Greece at around 0800 GMT on June 13. KALAMATA, Greece, June 15 (Reuters) – As Greece confronts its worst sea disaster in years, questions are mounting about how potentially hundreds of migrants drowned even as their vessel was being shadowed by the Greek coastguard.Īt least 78 people died when the fishing vessel flipped and capsized in international waters south-west of Greece early on Wednesday. By Lefteris Papadimas and Karolina Tagaris

Free borders for microsoft word italy