Three days after the sinking of a migrant boat, the survivors are welcomed in Kalamata, a Greek city off the Peloponnese. On the spot, there are many questions and emotions after this drama.
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Known as a seaside resort, the Greek city of Kalamata is now hosting survivors of the sinking of a migrant boat off the Peloponnese. Since the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the search continues, but today there is almost no hope of finding survivors. Given the photos of this overloaded trawler, and the testimonies of the survivors, the international organization for migration fears hundreds of deaths. According to a last official report, 78 bodies were found.
Sinking of a migrant boat in Greece: what we know about the tragedy that left at least 78 dead and “hundreds” missing
In Kalamata, the local population is very affected by this tragedy. “I have no words, I have no words after this”, explains this resident. “It’s very hard what is happening. That people are dying at sea trying to survive, trying to find a better place to live. I don’t understand how this could have happened. And above all: I don’t know why we couldn’t save them all.”
In a center transformed into a refuge, the survivors await news of their loved ones or the missing. In the meantime, solidarity is organized, Katherina, another resident of Kalamata, brings clothes and food. “It’s awful, I have nothing else to say. It’s so sad what happened, it could have been us. There’s a lack of humanity these days. Like the human did not interest us. My sadness is very great.”
Ongoing investigations
The survivors of the sinking must be transferred to Athens, the capital, in the next few hours. The investigation into the sinking continues since nine suspected smugglers have been arrested. They are of Egyptian nationality, among them there is the captain of the boat. He had fled on board another boat, according to the first elements of the investigation. An abandonment of the ship before the trawler sank in these very deep waters of the Peloponnese.
The Frontex agency had spotted this boat before it sank, but no one intervened. The Greek Supreme Court has therefore opened an investigation which will inevitably go beyond the country’s borders. Three days of national mourning have been declared in Greece.