Athens: At least 78 people have died in a migrant shipwreck off the Peloponnese, while 104 people have been rescued, Greek media reported on Wednesday.
The incident is among the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, ERT broadcaster said.
The International Organization for Migration said the boat was carrying at least 400 migrants, while the survivors estimated that 700 migrants had been on board, the report said.
Rescued migrants were reportedly transferred to the port of Kalamata, located in the southern part of the Peloponnese. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou traveled to Kalamata to meet with the rescued.
Later in the day, Greece’s caretaker Prime Minister Ioannis Sarmas declared a three-day national mourning for the victims of the shipwreck.
“The prime minister has declared a three-day national mourning from 9:00 pm Wednesday, June 14, until 9:00 pm Saturday, June 17, for the victims of today’s tragic shipwreck in international waters west of Greece, as well as for all the victims of ruthless human traffickers, who take advantage of human suffering,” the official statement said.
On Wednesday night, a fishing boat carrying migrants capsized in international waters 47 nautical miles southwest of the Greek town of Pylos. The boat was heading from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya to Italy. A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched under the coordination of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center.
