PLEAS for help were ignored as more than 600 drowned after a fishing trawler Adriana capsized and sank in the presence of a Greek Coast Guard cutter last month, killing refugees seeking to enter the European Union without papers.
More than 50,000 'irregular border' crossings of the Central Mediterranean, most of which begin in Tunisia and Libya, were detected in the first five months of 2023, up 160 per cent year on year, according to EU border agency data.
A week after the June 15 tragedy near Greece, more than 30 migrants were feared dead after a dinghy headed for Spain's Canary Islands sank.
Adriana survivors said a Greek coastguard cutter accidently caused the trawler to capsize while putting it under tow in the early hours of June 14, Reuters reported.
One Syrian survivor said he and other migrants on board the Adriana, which had broken down en route to Italy, screamed 'Stop!' after a Greek coastguard vessel attached a rope to the bow of the trawler and began to pick up speed. The migrant boat listed left and right and then capsize entirely overturned.
Similar statements of the six witnesses clash with the public statements given by the Greek coast guard and government, which have said no attempt was made to tow the vessel.
Suspected human traffickers were arrested on charges including manslaughter, migrant smuggling and causing a shipwreck, and have been jailed pending trial.
One witness said: 'People were on top of each other, people were screaming, people were drowning each other. It was night time and there were waves. It was scary.'
When the Adriana capsized and sank 47 miles southwest of Pylos, in international waters within Greece's search-and-rescue jurisdiction, it was carrying between 400 and 750 migrants mostly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan, the UN refugee agency says.
A total of 104 survivors have been found but rescuers say it's unlikely anyone else will be recovered, dead or alive, in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean.
The Adriana set off from a beach near the Libyan town of Tobruk June 10, according to survivors. Before they boarded, the traffickers took away their belongings and threw out bottles of drinking water to make room for more people, survivor Mohamed told Reuters.
Each traveller only had 40 cm of space, a Syrian migrant told judicial authorities, according to the evidence.
All 11 survivors said they paid between US$4,500 to $6,000 for the journey, and the smugglers told them they would reach Italy in three days. Three survivors told authorities they paid anywhere from EUR50 to EUR200 (US$55-$US220) extra for places on the outer deck, considered safer.
While the obligation to go to the aid of vessels in distress is in the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, Malta has rejected 2004 amendments stipulating that states provide assistance to 'disembarking persons found in distress at sea'.
SeaNews Turkey
More than 50,000 'irregular border' crossings of the Central Mediterranean, most of which begin in Tunisia and Libya, were detected in the first five months of 2023, up 160 per cent year on year, according to EU border agency data.
A week after the June 15 tragedy near Greece, more than 30 migrants were feared dead after a dinghy headed for Spain's Canary Islands sank.
Adriana survivors said a Greek coastguard cutter accidently caused the trawler to capsize while putting it under tow in the early hours of June 14, Reuters reported.
One Syrian survivor said he and other migrants on board the Adriana, which had broken down en route to Italy, screamed 'Stop!' after a Greek coastguard vessel attached a rope to the bow of the trawler and began to pick up speed. The migrant boat listed left and right and then capsize entirely overturned.
Similar statements of the six witnesses clash with the public statements given by the Greek coast guard and government, which have said no attempt was made to tow the vessel.
Suspected human traffickers were arrested on charges including manslaughter, migrant smuggling and causing a shipwreck, and have been jailed pending trial.
One witness said: 'People were on top of each other, people were screaming, people were drowning each other. It was night time and there were waves. It was scary.'
When the Adriana capsized and sank 47 miles southwest of Pylos, in international waters within Greece's search-and-rescue jurisdiction, it was carrying between 400 and 750 migrants mostly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan, the UN refugee agency says.
A total of 104 survivors have been found but rescuers say it's unlikely anyone else will be recovered, dead or alive, in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean.
The Adriana set off from a beach near the Libyan town of Tobruk June 10, according to survivors. Before they boarded, the traffickers took away their belongings and threw out bottles of drinking water to make room for more people, survivor Mohamed told Reuters.
Each traveller only had 40 cm of space, a Syrian migrant told judicial authorities, according to the evidence.
All 11 survivors said they paid between US$4,500 to $6,000 for the journey, and the smugglers told them they would reach Italy in three days. Three survivors told authorities they paid anywhere from EUR50 to EUR200 (US$55-$US220) extra for places on the outer deck, considered safer.
While the obligation to go to the aid of vessels in distress is in the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, Malta has rejected 2004 amendments stipulating that states provide assistance to 'disembarking persons found in distress at sea'.
SeaNews Turkey
