Rescuers in search of migrant survivors after sea disaster in Greece
(NBC) - Rescue workers transferred the bodies of dead migrants to refrigerated trucks as a major search continued Thursday for possible survivors of a sea disaster in southern Greece. Hundreds of people are still feared missing.
At least 78 bodies have been recovered after a fishing boat crammed with migrants seeking to make it from Libya to Italy capsized and sank a day earlier in deep waters off the Greek coast.
Rescuers saved 104 passengers - including Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis, Afghans, and Palestinians, mostly men and including eight minors.
But authorities fear that hundreds of others may have been trapped below deck. If confirmed, that would make the tragedy one of the worst ever recorded in the central Mediterranean.
Greece declared three days of mourning and politicians suspended campaigning for a general election on June 25.
A supreme court prosecutor ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the deaths.
EU promised to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and nearby countries to try to further crackdown on migrant smugglers.
But human rights groups argue that the crackdown means migrants and refugees are being forced to take longer and more dangerous routes to reach safe countries.
The search operation south of Greece's Peloponnese region failed to locate any more bodies or survivors overnight or early Thursday.
Coast guard experts believe the boat may have sunk after running out of fuel or suffering engine trouble, with movement of passengers inside the vessel causing it to list and ultimately capsize.
An aerial photograph of the vessel before it sank released by Greek authorities showed people crammed on the deck. Most were not wearing life jackets.
