Pakistanis among at least 79 people drowned in refugee shipwreck off Greek coast

At least 79 people, including Pakistanis, have died, while hundreds more are feared missing in what the Aegean Boat Report (ABR) states is the deadliest shipwreck around Greek shores in decades.

The overcrowded fishing vessel capsized off the Southern Peloponnese while on course to Italy from the Libyan town Tobruk, according to state broadcaster ERT. Nearly all the victims were men from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Alarm Phone, a trans-European network supporting sea rescue operations, published a transcription of the vessel’s contact with them. The passengers were only able to send their location coordinates two hours after the first distress call was received Tuesday afternoon.

The Greek coastguard and EU border agency Frontex were alerted immediately, yet state those on board refused assistance offered by Greek authorities late on Tuesday. They claimed that the passengers accepted food rations but wanted to continue their voyage. A few hours later the boat capsized and sank.

The survivors were taken to the southern port city of Kalamata, where the deputy mayor indicated that there were more than 500 people onboard, according to the information he had received. The UN’s migration agency provided an estimate of 400.

ABR, a body set up to monitor and report issues related to migrant movement in the Aegean Sea, tweeted that the vessel could have had about 750 people onboard. ABR noted that the testimonies from survivors give indicators of around 400-750 passengers, rendering the exact figure unknown.

The Mediterranean Sea and the countries bordering it have long been perilous routes for refugees fleeing from conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. UN data suggests that about 72,000 refugees and migrants have arrived to countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus just this year.