search for dozens of migrants after shipwreck

First modification: 08/11/2022 – 14:25

The most common sea route for asylum seekers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa is once again the scene of a tragedy.

Dozens of migrants disappeared in the raging sea after the boat they were traveling in sank some 33 nautical miles off the island of Karpathos in the southern Aegean.

With 29 survivors from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq saying there were between 60 and 80 people traveling in total, a Greek Navy ship and three merchant ships are trying to find between 30 and 50 people, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

The boat had left Antalya, Turkey, bound for Italy, and capsized in the early hours of Wednesday, August 10.

According to authorities, the shipwreck occurred in international waters, but within Greece’s search and rescue area of ​​responsibility.

Two survivors were pulled from the sea by an Air Force helicopter and taken to Karpathos, while the remaining 27 were picked up by a merchant ship and transported to the island of Kos, where they arrived on Wednesday afternoon.

There, dressed in white overalls and wearing masks, they disembarked. Many of them with some difficulties to walk.

The exact causes of the sinking have not yet been confirmed, but authorities noted that weather conditions in the area were difficult, with strong winds and rough seas.

Greece signals rebound in entry attempts

The most frequent maritime route in which dozens of people from impoverished and conflict-ridden countries try to reach Europe is from Turkey to the Greek islands near the Aegean Sea.

Greece was on the front lines of a European migration crisis in 2015 and 2016, when a million refugees fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan arrived in the country, mainly through Turkish territory.

Since then, the number of immigrant arrivals has dropped dramatically. However, Greek authorities say they have recently seen a sharp increase in entry attempts through the nation’s islands and the land border with Turkey.

Since 2015, about 24,000 people have lost their lives or have disappeared in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic trying to reach the Old Continent, according to data from the European Council.

With Reuters and AP