The suspects, arrested in Kalamata, the port of the Peloponnese peninsula where the survivors were transported, are suspected of “illegal trafficking” in human beings.
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Nine Egyptians suspected of being smugglers were arrested in Greece on Thursday, June 15, after a migrant boat sank off the Greek coast which could have killed hundreds. The suspects, arrested in Kalamata, the port of the Peloponnese peninsula where the survivors were transported, are suspected of “illegal trafficking” in human beings, according to the Greek agency ANA.
Just over 100 people were rescued. The survivors “are all men”, said the spokeswoman for the coast guard, raising fears that women and children, who usually also board these boats, are among the missing. The rescued migrants are mostly Syrians (47), Egyptians (43), as well as 12 Pakistanis and two Palestinians, according to the Greek authorities.
Two patrol boats, a navy frigate, three helicopters and nine other ships continue to inspect the waters west of the Peloponnese coast, one of the deepest areas in the Mediterranean. The Greek Supreme Court has also ordered an investigation to determine the causes of the tragedy that has shocked Greece, accused for years of turning back migrants seeking asylum in the EU. A three-day national mourning was declared, interrupting the electoral campaign in view of the legislative ballot on June 25.