At least 79 people drowned Wednesday when a fishing boat carrying potentially hundreds of migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece.
Rescuers plucked 104 survivors from the wreck, which occurred about 45 miles southwest of the Peloponnese peninsula. They were taken to the Greek port of Kalamata.
As of Wednesday night, 79 bodies had been recovered, but scores remained missing. The deck had been crammed with people, with an untold number down below. Survivors reported up to 750 people onboard, while other sources estimated around 400 passengers.
The boat, between 80 and 100 feet long, flipped after people crowding the deck moved to one side simultaneously, throwing the vessel off balance, said Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou. No one was wearing lifejackets.
The incident is the worst disaster of its kind this year in a spate of shipwrecks as people flee from armed conflict, climate change effects and other existential pressures. From January to March 2023, more than 400 migrants died attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean, reports the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“As many as 84% of those who perished along sea routes remain unidentified, leaving desperate families in search of answers,” the IOM said.
The boat in Wednesday’s accident originated in Tobruk, Libya, and was headed for Italy, authorities said.
Throughout the day, it had been in contact with both authorities and an activist group, Alarm Phone, that helps link distressed vessels with aid. Greek Coast Guard officials said the boat’s occupants had refused help and that one of their boats had been sailing alongside when the fishing craft capsized.
Alarm Phone said in a statement that the occupants most likely feared Greek authorities would turn them back, so they had refused help even though they needed it.
Communication had been spotty all day, and another fishing boat had shown up just before the accident. Alarm Phone was not sure which ship had contacted them in distress.