At least 78 people have died after a fishing boat capsized off the coast of the Peloponnese, according to the Greek coastguard, as fears grow that the death toll could rise significantly, reports RTE.
Around 100 people have been rescued after a boat capsized in international waters in the Ionian Sea during an operation due to strong winds, the coastguard said.
According to the Coast Guard, the fishing boat may have had “hundreds” of people on board, an Immigration Ministry source said.
“We fear there will be a very large number of missing persons,” the official said, reprots RTE.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed the concern over the high number of missing, noting in a tweet: “We fear more lives were lost. Initial reports suggest up to 400 people were onboard,” reports RTE.
Greece’s head of state, President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, said she would later visit the port of Kalamata to discuss rescue operations and accommodation with senior officials.
Greece’s worst migrant tragedy occurred in June 2016, when at least 320 people died or went missing, according to AFP data dating back to 1993.
Greek media reported that around 30 people had been taken to the port hospital, although the coast guard put the number down to just four.
The coastguard said a surveillance plane from the European agency Frontex spotted the boat yesterday afternoon, but the passengers “refused any help”, reports RTE.
It added that no one on board was wearing a life jacket and did not immediately reveal their nationality.
Authorities said the migrants appeared to have left Libya for Italy.
The immigration ministry will start looking for accommodation for the rescued after the coast guard processes them to determine gender and nationality, an official said.
Television footage showed emergency tents being set up in Kalamata, reports RTE.
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