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Dozens are dead and hundreds feared missing from migrant ship sinking off Greece

The Associated Press

This undated handout image provided by Greece's coast guard on Wednesday, June14, 2023, shows scores of people covering practically every free stretch of deck on a battered fishing boat that later capsized and sank off southern Greece. AP hide caption

This undated handout image provided by Greece's coast guard on Wednesday, June14, 2023, shows scores of people covering practically every free stretch of deck on a battered fishing boat that later capsized and sank off southern Greece.

KALAMATA, Greece — 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 — 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.

Authorities revised the confirmed death toll from 79 following an overnight count of the bodies.

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"The survivors are in a very difficult situation. Right now they are in shock," Erasmia Roumana, head of a United Nations Refugee Agency delegation, told The Associated Press after meeting the rescued migrants in a storage hangar in the southern port of Kalamata.

"They want to get in touch with their families to tell them they are OK, and they keep asking about the missing. Many have friends and relatives unaccounted for."

Greece declared three days of mourning and politicians suspended campaigning for a general election on June 25.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said she was "deeply saddened" by the tragedy and promised to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and nearby countries to try to further crack down 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.

A map shows the route that a fishing boat carrying migrants to Italy from Libya sank in the Mediterranean Wednesday. AP hide caption

A map shows the route that a fishing boat carrying migrants to Italy from Libya sank in the Mediterranean Wednesday.

"The chances of finding (more survivors) are minimal," retired Greek coast guard admiral Nikos Spanos told state-run ERT television.

"We have seen old fishing boats like this before from Libya: They are about 30 meters (100 feet) long and can carry 600-700 people when crammed full. But they are not at all seaworthy. To put it simply, they are floating coffins."

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.

Migrants Continue To Die In Attempts To Cross Mediterranean Sea To Europe

"We are witnessing one of the biggest tragedies in the Mediterranean, and the numbers announced by the authorities are devastating," said Gianluca Rocco, head of the Greek section of IOM, the U.N. migration agency.

The IOM has recorded more than 21,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014.

Greece's coast guard said it was notified by Italian authorities of the trawler's presence in international waters. It said efforts by its own ships and merchant vessels to assist the boat were repeatedly rejected, with people on board insisting they wanted to continue to Italy.

Twenty-nine of the survivors in southern Greece remain hospitalized, mostly with symptoms of hypothermia, while eight have been questioned by coast guard investigators. Government officials said the survivors would be moved to a migrant shelter near Athens later Thursday or Friday.

A survivors of a shipwreck washes his face outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Thanassis Stavrakis/AP hide caption

A survivors of a shipwreck washes his face outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

The spot is close to the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea, and depths of up to 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) could hamper any effort to locate a sunken vessel.

The IOM said initial reports suggested up to 400 people were aboard. A network of activists said it received a distress call from a boat in the same area whose passengers said it carried 750 people.

The Mediterranean's deadliest shipwreck in living memory occurred on April 18, 2015, when an overcrowded fishing boat collided off Libya with a freighter trying to come to its rescue. Only 28 people survived. Forensic experts concluded that there were originally 1,100 people on board.

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At Least 79 Die as Boat Carrying Migrants Sinks Near Greece

The sinking was the deadliest off Greece since 2015.

Thousands die along these routes each year.

Migration is a central issue in Greece’s election .

By Niki Kitsantonis and Cora Engelbrecht

Niki Kitsantonis reported from Athens, and Cora Engelbrecht from London.

At least 79 people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea after a large boat carrying migrants sank early Wednesday, the Greek authorities said, in the deadliest such episode off the country’s coast since the height of the 2015 migration crisis.

More than 100 people were rescued, but the Greek Coast Guard warned that the death toll would probably increase.

What happened?

The boat foundered on Wednesday about ‌50 miles southwest of Pylos, a city in southern Greece. A day earlier, Greek officials were alerted to the boat’s unusual movements, according to a statement from the Greek Coast Guard, which said that the boat’s crew had declined assistance offered by the authorities.

The cause of the sinking was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon. A Greek Shipping Ministry official said that the boat was traveling to Italy from Tobruk, Libya.

Officers on a Coast Guard vessel dispatched to the area saw “a large number of migrants on the outside deck of the boat” on Tuesday night, the agency said. The boat’s crew declined aid, according to the statement.

The Greek Coast Guard learned about the boat’s engine failure shortly before 2 a.m., the Shipping Ministry said. Coast Guard officers tried to approach the vessel after receiving a request for help, it said, then “saw the boat take a right turn, then a sharp left, and then another right so big that it caused the vessel to capsize.”

Ten to 15 minutes later, it said, the boat had sunk and many people had fallen into the sea.

After the sinking, the Greek authorities said, the Coast Guard and the military deployed a large number of vessels to reach survivors and locate the dead. Many of the migrants were believed to be from Egypt, Pakistan and Syria, according to the Shipping Ministry.

It was unclear how many people were still missing by late Wednesday. The ship appeared to have sunk in an area that is about 13,000 feet deep, which could put the wreck and victims beyond divers’ reach.

Greece’s caretaker prime minister, Ioannis Sarmas, declared three days of national mourning on Wednesday. President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who holds a largely ceremonial office, visited the port of Kalamata, in southwestern Greece, where some people were protesting the government’s tough stance on migration.

How deadly are these migrant routes?

The sinking was the deadliest such episode off the Greek coast since 70 people died when a boat carrying migrants sank near the island off Lesbos in October 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Last year, nearly 3,800 migrants died on routes within and from the Middle East and North Africa region, according to a new annual report by the organization — the highest death toll in five years, the report said . And given the scarcity of official data, the actual number of deaths on those routes is probably much higher, it said.

“As many as 84 percent of those who perished along sea routes remain unidentified, leaving desperate families in search of answers,” the report said.

Some of the worst disasters at sea took place in 2015 and 2016, as hundreds of thousands of people were trying to reach Europe. In one sinking, in April 2015, an estimated 800 people died near Libya; a year later, the United Nations said that as many as 500 died when a boat packed with migrants capsized en route to Italy.

What is Greece’s stance on migration?

Migration has been a central issue in the Greek election, and two leading politicians, the conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the left-wing Alexis Tsipras, canceled speeches on Wednesday. Mr. Mitsotakis, a former prime minister, has defended his tough migration policy , arguing that a more lenient stance had caused undue pressure on Greece and a rise in deaths at sea.

While in office, Mr. Mitsotakis cracked down on migration, heightening border controls in an effort that led to a 90 percent drop in migrant arrivals since 2015. Rights groups accused his government of illegally pushing back migrants at sea and building camps with prisonlike conditions, and video verified by The New York Times showed the Greek Coast Guard in April rounding up asylum seekers, among them children, and abandoning them on a raft at sea.

In a statement, Mr. Mitsotakis said he was “stunned” by Wednesday’s sinking, which he said underlined a need for Europe to respond to criminal smuggling networks.

“This is a time for solidarity and humanity. The priority is to save as many lives as possible,” he said. “The new incident, however, highlights in a dramatic way that the issue of migration remains a problem that demands a coherent European policy.”

Many people in Greece, particularly in border areas, have welcomed the reduced number of migrant arrivals, and Mr. Mitsotakis’s party did well in a vote in May , though it fell short of a majority to lead the government.

An earlier version of this article misidentified the location of a migrant ship sinking. It was in the Mediterranean Sea, not the Aegean.

How we handle corrections

Niki Kitsantonis is a freelance correspondent for The Times based in Athens. She has been writing about Greece for 20 years, including more than a decade of coverage for The Times. More about Niki Kitsantonis

Cora Engelbrecht is a reporter and story editor on the International desk, based in London. She joined The Times in 2016.  More about Cora Engelbrecht

Watch CBS News

At least 78 dead and dozens feared missing after fishing boat sinks off Greece

Updated on: June 14, 2023 / 8:19 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank off the coast of Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 78 people dead and many dozens feared missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year.

Coast guard, navy and merchant vessels fanned out for a vast search-and-rescue operation that also included a plane and a helicopter.

Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far after the boat sank overnight in international waters some 45 miles southwest of Greece's southern Peloponnese peninsula. The spot is close to one of the deepest areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

It was unclear how many passengers might still be in the water or trapped in the sunken vessel, but some initial reports suggested hundreds of people may have been on board.

Four survivors were hospitalized with symptoms of hypothermia. At the southern port of Kalamata, dozens of others were taken to sheltered areas set up by the ambulance services and the United Nations Refugee Agency to receive dry clothes and medical attention.

The Greek coast guard said 78 bodies have been recovered so far.

The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya. That country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Human traffickers have benefited from the ensuing instability and made Libya one of the main departure points for people attempting to reach Europe on smugglers' boats.

The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, about the approaching vessel on Tuesday.

The United Nations migration agency, IOM, said initial reports suggested up to 400 people were on board. A network of activists said it received a distress call from a boat in the same area whose passengers said 750 people were on board — but it was not clear if that was the vessel that sank.

‼️ A shipwreck occurred today off Pylos, Greece according to @HCoastGuard . So far 104 survivors were brought to shore while 32 bodies were recovered. Search and rescue efforts continue and we fear more lives were lost. Initial reports suggest up to 400 people were onboard. pic.twitter.com/7TBTWiHs84 — IOM - UN Migration 🇺🇳 (@UNmigration) June 14, 2023

After that first alert, Frontex aircraft and two merchant ships spotted the boat heading north at high speed, according to the Greek coast guard. More aircraft and ships were sent to the area.

But repeated calls to the vessel offering help were declined, the coast guard said in a statement.

"In the afternoon a merchant vessel approached the ship and provided it with food and supplies, while the (passengers) refused any further assistance," it said. A second merchant ship that approached it later offered further supplies and assistance, which were turned down, it added.

In the evening, a coast guard patrol boat reached the vessel "and confirmed the presence of a large number of migrants on the deck," the statement said. "But they refused any assistance and said they wanted to continue to Italy."

The coast guard boat accompanied the migrant vessel, which, the statement said, capsized and sank early Wednesday, prompting a massive rescue operation by all the ships in the area.

Alarm Phone, a network of activists that provides a hotline for migrants in trouble, meanwhile, said it was contacted by people on a boat in distress on Tuesday afternoon. That boat was in the same general area as the one that sank, but it was not clear if it was the same vessel.

The organization notified Greek authorities and Frontex. In one communication with Alarm Phone, migrants reported the vessel was overcrowded and that the captain had abandoned the ship on a small boat, according to the group. They asked for food and water, which was provided by a merchant ship.

When they have larger boats, Mediterranean smugglers are increasingly trying to stay in international waters as they pass by Greece to try to avoid its coast guard patrols.

On Sunday, 90 migrants on a U.S.-flagged yacht were rescued in the area after they made a distress call.

Six Greek coast guard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport plane, an air force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from Frontex are currently taking part in the search for the boat that sank Wednesday.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou headed for the area where rescued migrants are being tended to and planned campaign events by political parties ahead of June 25 national elections were called off.

Separately Wednesday, a yacht with 81 migrants on board was towed to a port on the south coast of Greece's island of Crete after authorities received a distress call.

According to IOM, there have been about 27,000 missing migrants reported in the  Mediterranean region  since 2014. The group says the Central Mediterranean is the "deadliest known migration route in the world." 

The worst migrant tragedy in Greece was in June 2016 when at least 320 people were listed as dead or missing, according to AFP records going back to 1993.

Along with Italy and Spain, Greece has been one of the main landing points for tens of thousands of people seeking to reach Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

Greece is also facing an increase of crossing attempts from Turkey on southern routes near the Cyclades islands and toward the Peloponnese peninsula, hoping to avoid patrols in the northern Aegean Sea.

Rescue operations are common, but last month the Greek government came under international pressure over video footage reportedly showing the forceful expulsion of migrants who were set adrift at sea.

Greece and other EU member states on the southern and southeastern rim of the bloc say they are being unfairly tasked with managing the arrivals of undocumented migrants.

AFP contributed to this report.   

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At least 79 dead after overcrowded migrant vessel sinks off Greece; hundreds may be missing

This undated handout image provided by Greece’s coast guard on Wednesday, June14, 2023, shows scores of people covering practically every free stretch of deck on a battered fishing boat that later capsized and sank off southern Greece. A fishing boat carrying migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year.(Hellenic Coast Guard via AP)

Survivors of a shipwreck sleep at a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. A fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank off the coast of Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 78 people dead and many dozens feared missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year. (AP Photos/Thanassis Stavrakis)

This undated handout image provided by Greece’s coast guard on Wednesday, June14, 2023, shows scores of people on a battered fishing boat that later capsized and sank off southern Greece. A fishing boat carrying migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year.(Hellenic Coast Guard via AP)

A survivor of a shipwreck walks outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. A fishing boat carrying migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year. (AP Photos/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Survivors of a shipwreck rest in a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. A fishing boat carrying migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year. (AP Photos/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Paramedics transfer an injured survivor of a shipwreck to an ambulance at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. A fishing boat carrying migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year. (AP Photos/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A survivors receives first aid after a rescue operation at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 70 people have died and dozens are feared missing off the coast of southern Greece after a fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank. (www.argolikeseidhseis.gr via AP)

Paramedics carry an injured survivor of a shipwreck to an ambulance at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. A fishing boat carrying migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year. (AP Photos/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Survivors arrive by yacht after a rescue operation at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 30 people have died after a fishing boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. A large search and rescue operation is underway. Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far following the incident early Wednesday some 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese region.(www.argolikeseidhseis.gr via AP)

Survivors of a shipwreck sit at a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 30 people have died after a fishing boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. A large search and rescue operation is underway. (www.argolikeseidhseis.gr via AP)

Survivors receive first aid after a rescue operation at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 30 people have died after a fishing boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. A large search and rescue operation is underway. Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far following the incident early Wednesday some 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese region.(www.argolikeseidhseis.gr via AP)

Survivors receive first aid after a rescue operation at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 3o people have died after a fishing boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. A large search and rescue operation is underway. Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far following the incident early Wednesday some 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese region.(www.argolikeseidhseis.gr via AP)

Survivors arrive by yacht after a rescue operation at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 30 people have died after a fishing boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. A large search and rescue operation is underway. (www.argolikeseidhseis.gr via AP)

Survivors of a shipwreck rest at a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 30 people have died after a fishing boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. A large search and rescue operation is underway. (www.argolikeseidhseis.gr via AP)

Paramedics carry an injured survivor of a shipwreck to an ambulance at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Authorities say at least 78 people have died and dozens are feared missing off the coast of southern Greece after a fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank.(AP Photos/Thanassis Stavrakis)

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KALAMATA, Greece (AP) — A fishing boat crammed to the gunwales with migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank Wednesday off the coast of Greece, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year.

Coast guard, navy and merchant vessels and aircraft fanned out for a vast search-and-rescue operation set to continue overnight. It was unclear how many passengers were missing, but some initial reports suggested hundreds of people may have been aboard when the boat went down far from shore.

An aerial photograph of the battered blue vessel released by the Greek coast guard showed scores of people covering practically every inch of deck.

Greece’s caretaker prime minister, Ioannis Sarmas, declared three days of national mourning, “with our thoughts on all the victims of the ruthless smugglers who exploit human unhappiness.

Coast guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told state ERT TV that it was impossible to accurately estimate the number of passengers. He said it appeared that the 25- to 30-meter (80- to 100-foot) vessel capsized after people abruptly moved to one side.

“The outer deck was full of people, and we presume that the interior (of the vessel) would also have been full,” he said. “It looks as if there was a shift among the people who were crammed on board, and it capsized.”

A coast guard statement said efforts by its own ships and merchant vessels to assist the boat were repeatedly rebuffed, with people on board insisting they wanted to continue to Italy. Coast guard officials said the trawler’s engines broke down around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, and just under an hour later, the ship started to list abruptly from side to side before capsizing.

The ship sank 10 to 15 minutes later, the statement said.

Ioannis Zafiropoulos, deputy mayor of the southern port city of Kalamata, where survivors were taken, said that his information indicated there were “more than 500 people” on board.

Authorities said 104 people were rescued after the sinking in international waters about 75 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula. The spot is close to the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea, and depths of up to 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) could hamper any effort to locate a sunken vessel.

Twenty-five survivors ranging in age from 16 to 49 were hospitalized with hypothermia or fever.

At the port of Kalamata, around 70 exhausted survivors bedded down in sleeping bags and blankets provided by rescuers in a large warehouse, while paramedics set up tents outside for anyone who needed first aid.

Katerina Tsata, head of a Red Cross volunteer group in Kalamata, said the migrants were also given psychological support.

“They suffered a very heavy blow, both physical and mental,” she said.

Rescue volunteer Constantinos Vlachonikolos said nearly all the survivors were men.

“They were very worn out. How could they not be?” he said. Rescuers said many of the people pulled from the water couldn’t swim and were clutching debris. The coast guard said none had life jackets.

The Greek coast guard said 79 bodies have been recovered so far. Survivors included 30 people from Egypt, 10 from Pakistan, 35 from Syria and two Palestinians, the agency said.

The Italy-bound boat was believed to have left the Tobruk area in eastern Libya — a country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Human traffickers have benefited from the instability, and made Libya one of the main departure points for people attempting to reach Europe on smuggler’s boats.

The route from North Africa to Italy through the central Mediterranean is the deadliest in the world, according to the U.N. migration agency , known as IOM, which has recorded more than 21,000 deaths and disappearances there since 2014.

Smugglers use unseaworthy boats and cram as many migrants as possible inside — sometimes inside locked holds — for journeys that can take days. They head for Italy, which is directly across the Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia, and much closer than Greece to the Western European countries that most migrants hope to eventually reach.

In February, at least 94 people died when a wooden boat from Turkey sank off Cutro, in southern Italy, in the worst Mediterranean sinking so far this year.

The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, about an approaching vessel on Tuesday.

The IOM said initial reports suggested up to 400 people were on board. A network of activists said it received a distress call from a boat in the same area whose passengers said it carried 750 people. But it wasn’t clear if that was the vessel that sank.

After that first alert, Frontex aircraft and two merchant ships spotted the boat heading north at high speed, according to the Greek coast guard, and more aircraft and ships were sent to the area.

But repeated calls to the vessel offering help were declined, the coast guard said in a statement.

“In the afternoon, a merchant vessel approached the ship and provided it with food and supplies, while the (passengers) refused any further assistance,” the coast guard said. A second merchant ship later offered more supplies and assistance, which were turned down, the agency added.

In the evening, a coast guard patrol boat reached the vessel “and confirmed the presence of a large number of migrants on the deck,” the statement said. “But they refused any assistance and said they wanted to continue to Italy.”

The coast guard boat accompanied the migrant vessel and later headed a major rescue operation by all the ships in the area.

Alarm Phone, a network of activists that provides a hotline for migrants in trouble, said it was contacted by people on a boat in distress on Tuesday afternoon. That boat was in the same general area as the one that sank, but it was not clear if it was the same vessel.

The organization notified Greek authorities and Frontex. In one communication with Alarm Phone, migrants reported the vessel was overcrowded and that the captain had abandoned the ship on a small boat, according to the group. They asked for food and water, which were provided by a merchant ship.

“We fear that hundreds of people have drowned,” Alarm Phone said in a statement.

The Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwreck in living memory occurred on April 18, 2015, when an overcrowded fishing boat collided off Libya with a freighter trying to come to its rescue. Only 28 people survived. Forensic experts concluded that there were originally 1,100 people on board.

Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers Sam Magdy in Cairo and Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.

Follow AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

More than 70 bodies recovered after migrant boat sinks off Greece, search continues

Rescuers saved 104 passengers and recovered 79 bodies after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of greece., by derek gatopoulos and nicholas paphitis • published june 15, 2023 • updated on june 15, 2023 at 2:25 am.

With its human cargo of migrants filling every available space, the battered blue trawler was about halfway from Libya to Italy when its engine cut out in the night.

The vessel wobbled sharply, flooded and capsized. Less than 15 minutes later, it sank into one of the Mediterranean's deepest points, off the coast of Greece. Hundreds of people are thought to have been on board when the boat went down Wednesday, although authorities have no precise figure.

Rescuers saved 104 passengers — including Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis, Afghans and Palestinians — and recovered 79 bodies. And the search went on early Thursday for more, with aircraft dropping flares to help search teams.

“It's one of the biggest (such) operations ever in the Mediterranean,” Greek coast guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told state ERT TV. “We won't stop looking.”

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The sinking could be one of the worst ever recorded on the feared central Mediterranean migration route, which is the world's deadliest.

Ioannis Zafiropoulos, deputy mayor of the southern port city of Kalamata, where survivors were taken, said his information indicated there were “more than 500 people” on board.

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The 25- to 30-meter (80- to 100-foot) boat is believed to have left the Tobruk area in Libya, which was plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi. The instability allowed migrant smugglers to make Libya one of the main departure points for people seeking a better life in Europe.

Migration experts linked the sinking with the European Union's failure to provide safe immigration alternatives for people fleeing conflict or hardship in the Middle East and Africa.

“We are witnessing one of the biggest tragedies in the Mediterranean, and the numbers announced by the authorities are devastating," said Gianluca Rocco, head of the Greek section of IOM, the U.N. migration agency.

“This situation reinforces the urgency for concrete, comprehensive action from states to save lives at sea and reduce perilous journeys by expanding safe and regular pathways to migration,” Rocco said.

The IOM has recorded more than 21,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the bloc has “a collective moral duty” to dismantle migrant smuggling networks.

“The best way to ensure safety of migrants is to prevent these catastrophic journeys and invest in legal pathways,” she wrote on Twitter.

Greece's coast guard said it was notified by Italian authorities of the trawler's presence in international waters. It said in a statement that efforts by its own ships and merchant vessels to assist the boat were repeatedly rebuffed, with people on board insisting they wanted to continue to Italy.

“They categorically refused any help,” Alexiou said.

An aerial photograph of the vessel released by the coast guard showed scores of people covering practically every inch of deck. Greek media reports, which said the ship had been at sea for least two days, voiced fears that women and children may have been trapped in the hold.

“The outer deck was full of people, and we presume that the interior (of the vessel) would also have been full,” Alexiou said. “It looks as if there was a shift among the people who were crammed on board, and it capsized.”

The spot is close to the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea, and depths of up to 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) could hamper any effort to locate a sunken vessel.

Greece’s caretaker prime minister, Ioannis Sarmas, declared three days of national mourning.

Thirty survivors ranging in age from 16 to 49 were hospitalized with hypothermia or fever.

At the port of Kalamata, around 70 exhausted survivors bedded down in sleeping bags and blankets provided by rescuers in a large warehouse, while paramedics set up tents outside for anyone who needed first aid.

Rescue volunteer Constantinos Vlachonikolos said nearly all the survivors were men.

“They were very worn out. How could they not be?” he said. Rescuers said many of the people pulled from the water couldn't swim and were clutching debris. The coast guard said none had life jackets.

Smugglers often use unseaworthy boats crammed with as many migrants as possible — sometimes inside locked holds — for journeys that can take days. They head for Italy, which is directly across the Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia and much closer than Greece to the Western European countries that most migrants hope to eventually reach.

In February, at least 94 people died when a wooden boat from Turkey sank off Cutro, in southern Italy, in the worst Mediterranean sinking so far this year.

The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and the EU border protection agency, Frontex, about an approaching vessel on Tuesday.

The IOM said initial reports suggested up to 400 people were aboard. A network of activists said it received a distress call from a boat in the same area whose passengers said it carried 750 people.

After that first alert, Frontex aircraft and two merchant ships spotted the boat heading north, according to the Greek coast guard, and more aircraft and ships were sent to the area.

But repeated calls to the vessel offering help were declined, the coast guard said.

“In the afternoon, a merchant vessel approached the ship and provided it with food and supplies, while the (passengers) refused any further assistance,” a statement said. A second merchant ship later offered more supplies and assistance, which were turned down, it added.

In the evening, a coast guard patrol boat reached the vessel, “but they refused any assistance and said they wanted to continue to Italy.”

The coast guard boat accompanied the migrant vessel and later headed the rescue operation.

Vincent Cochetel, an official with the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, implied that the migrants' rejection of help should not have been taken at face value.

“This boat was unseaworthy & no matter what some people on board may have said, the notion of distress cannot be discussed,” he tweeted. “A robust & predictable (search and rescue) regime led by States is needed in the Central Med if we want to avoid such tragedies to repeat.”

The Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwreck in living memory occurred on April 18, 2015, when an overcrowded fishing boat collided off Libya with a freighter trying to come to its rescue. Only 28 people survived. Forensic experts concluded that there were originally 1,100 people on board.

Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writer Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.

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Greece shipwreck: up to 100 children were below deck, survivors say

Women also said to have been in the hold, amid fears 78 so far confirmed dead could rise into the hundreds

Survivors from an overcrowded fishing boat that capsized and sank on Wednesday off the Greek coast in one of the worst disasters in the Mediterranean in recent years have told doctors and police that women and children were travelling in the hold of the vessel.

Seventy-eight people have been confirmed dead, but there are fears the number of victims could run into the hundreds.

“Right now everything is guesswork but we are working on the assumption that as many as 500 are missing,” said Nicolaos Spanoudakis, a police inspector. “Women and children, it seems, were in the hold.”

Doctors at Kalamata general hospital told Greek media and the BBC that survivors said as many 100 children had been in the bottom of the ship.

It has not been possible to verify the figure, though asked by a reporter from Greece’s ANT1 channel if there were 100 children onboard, one survivor replied: “Yes.”

On Thursday night it was announced that Greek authorities had arrested nine suspected people-smugglers believed to have piloted the vessel before it sank off the southern Peloponnese.

Skai TV reported that the nine – all men – were of Egyptian descent and were suspected of masterminding the illegal voyage of hundreds of people to Italy from Egypt, from where they had set out with the trawler.

“They are in custody and will appear before a local magistrate,” Nikos Alexiou, the Hellenic coastguard spokesperson, told the Guardian. “They are being held by the coastguard in Kalamata.”

A public prosecutor is likely to press several charges against the group including that of mass murder. Local media reports said the ship’s captain was not among them and had died when the vessel went down.

Erasmia Roumana from the United Nations’ refugee agency described the disaster as “really horrific” and added that the survivors were in a very bad psychological state. “Many are in shock, they are so overwhelmed,” she told reporters in the port of Kalamata. “Many worry about the people they travelled with – families or friends.”

All 104 survivors were men aged between 16 and 40, authorities said. Most spent the night in a warehouse in the port. “They’re from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Egypt,” said Giorgos Farvas, Kalamata’s deputy mayor. “We’re talking about young men, mostly, who are in a state of huge psychological shock and exhaustion. Some fainted as they walked off the gangplanks from the vessels that brought them here.”

About 30 people were treated in hospital for pneumonia and exhaustion but were not in immediate danger, officials said, and several had been discharged.

Reports suggested up to 750 people had packed on to the fishing boat that capsized and sank early on Wednesday about 50 miles (80km) from the southern coastal town of Pylos while it was being shadowed by the Greek coastguard.

“The fishing boat was 25-30 metres long. Its deck was full of people, and we assume the interior was just as full,” a coastguard spokesperson said. A government spokesperson said smugglers were known to “lock people up to maintain control”.

Greece’s caretaker government has called three days of national mourning, with electoral campaigning ahead of polls on 25 June suspended.

Early on Thursday, a coastguard vessel sailed into Kalamata, transporting victims. After an official count, authorities revised the death toll to 78 from 79.

The coastguard said a surveillance plane from Europe’s Frontex agency had spotted the boat on Tuesday, but officials said people on the boat, which had set off from the Libyan port of Tobruk, repeatedly refused offers of help.

“It was a fishing boat packed with people who refused our assistance because they wanted to go to Italy,” the coastguard spokesperson, Nikos Alexiou, told Skai TV. “We stayed beside it in case it needed our assistance, which they had refused.”

A senior prosecutor on Thursday took over supervision of the investigation into the incident. Alexiou suggested the boat may also have capsized if the coastguard had attempted to stop it without the crew’s and passengers’ cooperation.

But Alexis Tsipras, the leftwing opposition leader, said during a visit to Kalamata port that survivors told him they had “called for help”.

He said:“What sort of protocol does not call for the rescue… of an overloaded boat about to sink?”

Tsipras, who was prime minister from 2015 to 2019 at the peak of Europe’s migration crisis, blamed the continent’s migration policy for the incident. “There are very big political responsibilities,” he said. “The immigration policy that Europe has been following for years … turns the Mediterranean, our seas, into watery graves.”

An independent refugee activist, Nawal Soufi, said on Facebook she had been in contact with people on the boat until 11pm on Tuesday. “The man I was talking to expressly told me: ‘I feel that this will be our last night alive,’” she wrote.

The boat’s engine gave up shortly before midnight UK time on Tuesday and it capsized soon afterwards, with coastguard experts saying the movement of people inside may have caused it to list and overturn. No one onboard was thought to be wearing a life jacket.

The acting Greek migration minister, Daniel Esdras, told the TV station ERT that Greece would examine survivors’ asylum claims but those not entitled to protection would be sent home.

The search operation was due to continue until at least Friday morning, according to government sources. The chances of retrieving the sunken vessel were remote, they said, because the area of international waters where the incident occurred was so deep.

“The chances of finding more people alive are minimal,” a retired Greek coastguard admiral, Nikos Spanos, told ERT. “We have seen old fishing boats like this before from Libya. They are not at all seaworthy. To put it simply, they are floating coffins.”

The deadliest migrant tragedy in Greece was in June 2016, when at least 320 people were listed as dead or missing in a sinking near Crete.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

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At least 79 people killed after boat carrying migrants sinks off coast of southern Greece

More than 100 people rescued in operation taking place off coast of greek peloponnese region.

Dozens dead after migrant boat capsizes off coast of Greece

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At least 79 people have died and dozens are feared missing off the coast of southern Greece after a fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank, authorities said Wednesday.

A large search and rescue operation was launched in the area. Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far following the nighttime incident some 75 kilometres southwest of Greece's southern Peloponnese region.

The spot is close to the deepest area of the Mediterranean Sea — and such depths could hamper any effort to locate a sunken metal vessel.

Twenty-five survivors were hospitalized with symptoms of hypothermia.

At the southern port of Kalamata, around 70 exhausted survivors bedded down in sleeping bags and blankets provided by rescuers in a large warehouse, while outside paramedics set up tents for anyone who needed first aid.

Katerina Tsata, head of a Red Cross volunteer group in Kalamata, said the migrants were also given psychological support.

"They suffered a very heavy blow, both physical and mental," she said.

The Greek coast guard said 79 bodies have been recovered so far. It said the survivors included 30 people from Egypt, 10 from Pakistan, 35 from Syria and two who are Palestinians.

The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya. The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and Frontex about the approaching vessel on Tuesday.

Ship refused assistance before sinking: officials

After that first alert, Frontex aircraft and two merchant ships spotted the boat heading north at high speed, according to the Greek coast guard. More aircraft and ships were sent to the area. But repeated calls to the vessel offering help were declined, the coast guard said in a statement.

"In the afternoon, a merchant vessel approached the ship and provided it with food and supplies, while the [passengers] refused any further assistance," it said.

A second merchant ship that approached it later offered further supplies and assistance, which were turned down, it said. In the evening, a coast guard patrol boat reached the vessel "and confirmed the presence of a large number of migrants on the deck," the statement said. "But they refused any assistance and said they wanted to continue to Italy."

The coast guard boat accompanied the migrant vessel, which, the statement said, capsized and sank early Wednesday, prompting a massive rescue operation by all the ships in the area.

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Efi Latsoudi, a volunteer with the group Refugee Support Aegean, currently in Lesbos, Greece, said the coast guard statement may not be telling the whole story .

"We have an official version [of what happened]. But I believe that if we have access and we investigate and we support the victims and they feel safe to talk about what happened, maybe we will have another version," the human rights activist told CBC's As It Happens host Nil Köksal.

She also said there should be a better response to help migrants at sea.

"All the policy about refugees and migrants is a deterrence policy in Greece and in Europe. So people are trying to arrive and they take so many dangerous routes," Latsoudi said.

"We all understand that this can be prevented if we create safe routes for these people to arrive."

At the southern port of Kalamata, dozens of rescued migrants were taken to sheltered areas set up by the ambulance services and the United Nations Refugee Agency to receive dry clothes and medical attention.

Libyan authorities have launched a major crackdown on migrants earlier this month across eastern Libya. Activists have said several thousand migrants, including Egyptians, Syrians, Sudanese and Pakistanis, have been detained. Libyan authorities deported many Egyptians to their home country through a land crossing point.

In western Libya, authorities have raided migrant hubs in the capital, Tripoli, and other towns over the past few weeks. At least 1,800 migrants were detained and taken to government-run detention centres, according to the UN refugee agency.

Mediterranean smugglers are increasingly taking larger boats into international waters off the Greek mainland to try to avoid local coast guard patrols.

Deadly incidents at levels not seen in 6 years

On Sunday, 90 migrants on a U.S.-flagged yacht were rescued in the area after they made a distress call.

Separately on Wednesday, a yacht with 81 migrants on board was towed to a port on the south coast of Greece's island of Crete after authorities received a distress call.

• Dozens killed after boat carrying migrants breaks apart on Italian coast

The latest incident comes as the UN migration agency reported on Tuesday that 2022 was the deadliest for migrants in the Middle East and North Africa seeking to reach Europe since 2017.

About 3,800 people died on sea and land migration routes within and from the Middle East-North Africa region, according to data released by the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Missing Migrants Project. That's 11 per cent higher compared to 2021 and the highest since 2017, when the project documented the deaths of 4,255 people in the region.

The first three months of 2023 were the deadliest first quarter since 2017, the same agency has reported, with 441 documented migrant deaths.

"The situation in the Mediterranean has been a humanitarian crisis for over a decade now," IOM spokesperson Safa Msehli said in April. "And the fact that deaths continue on its own is very alarming, but the fact that that's increased is extremely alarming because it means that very little concrete action was taken to address the issue."

With files from CBC News

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Hundreds feared dead as search continues for missing migrants after fishing boat sinks off Greece

At least 78 people are known to have died in the tragedy off the coast of Greece - but a charity says up to 750 may have been on board the vessel.

By Daniel Binns, news reporter

Thursday 15 June 2023 14:25, UK

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A massive search operation is continuing for "hundreds" of missing migrants after at least 78 drowned when a fishing boat sank off the coast of Greece.

Officials said 104 survivors were rescued after the vessel capsized about 50 miles from the southern coastal town of Pylos.

But charity Alarm Phone, which operates a network supporting rescue operations and received frantic calls from some of those on board, said up to 750 people may have been on the vessel.

Greek officials said the boat got into difficulties when its engine stopped and it began veering from side to side.

It then capsized and sank at around 2am on Wednesday.

Shortly beforehand, Alarm Phone said it spoke to someone on board who said: "The captain left on a small boat. Please, any solution."

They also pleaded for food and water, and said the vessel had stopped moving, according to the charity.

The search for survivors continued on Thursday morning and is expected to last until at least Friday, Greek authorities said.

Six coastguard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport plane, an air force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, are taking part in the operation.

Officials said it was unlikely the sunken boat would be recovered because the area of international waters is one of the deepest in the Mediterranean.

Three days of national mourning have been declared by the Greek government.

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But Alarm Phone accused the Greek and other European authorities of failing to launch a rescue operation before the boat went down, despite being "well aware of this overcrowded and unseaworthy vessel".

The Greek coastguard denied the claim and said those on board "refused our assistance because they wanted to go to Italy".

Spokesperson Nikos Alexiou added that they still stayed nearby "in case it needed our assistance which they had refused".

Survivors were brought to the port city of Kalamata by the coastguard early on Thursday. Many are being treated for conditions including hypothermia and dehydration.

Aerial pictures released by the Greek coastguard showed the 20 to 30-metre-long boat hours before it sank.

Dozens of people on the upper and lower decks were seen looking up, some with arms outstretched.

Witnesses said many more women and children were below in the hold, according to local reports.

Greek authorities, who initially said 79 people had died before later revising the figure down to 78, said they could not confirm how many people were on board.

Hopes of finding survivors are fading in Kalamata

Middle East correspondent

Some 104 people were rescued from the sinking boat, all of them men.

It hasn't yet been confirmed that women and children were onboard, but the fear is that they were being kept below deck and so were dragged down with the boat when it capsized.

Some people have said there were 775 people onboard. However, the deputy mayor of Kalamata, the town where the rescued have been brought to, told us he thinks it was around 550 judging by the size of the boat.

Either way, the number of missing is still huge and it's unlikely many, if any, will now be found alive.

The survivors are being looked after by Greek authorities and aid agencies, in a warehouse by the waterside in Kalamata. Some are being treated in hospital for hypothermia but most are suffering from dehydration and mental trauma.

Later they will be taken to a nearby migrant holding centre, but for now the search operation continues and the weather remains good.

The ship reportedly sank in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean, making a salvage operation very tricky.

The UN's International Organisation for Migration said initial reports suggested there were up to 400 people on the vessel.

The boat is thought to have set off from the Libyan port of Tobruk and was heading to Italy.

Greek authorities said most of the migrants were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan.

Read more: 'This is my chance': Inside a mass migrant rescue On board a mission to save 600 people How one of the worst tragedies so far unfolded in February

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It comes as Libyan authorities launch a major crackdown on migrants, with several thousand - including Egyptians, Syrians, Sudanese and Pakistanis - detained.

Many Egyptians have been deported to their home country through a land crossing point.

The region is one of the main routes into Europe for refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The UN said there have been more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world.

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Boat full of migrants sinks off coast of Greece, 79 dead and hundreds missing

Several distress calls from the boat were received about a failed engine and overcrowding of an estimated 750 passengers 45 miles from pylos, greece.

By Rebecca Olds

After sending distress calls due to a failed engine and an overcrowded boat, a boat full of migrants sank on Wednesday off the coast of Greece, killing at least 79 migrants while hundreds more are believed to be missing, according to reports.

The fishing vessel was traveling from Tobruk, Libya, bound for Italy, full of migrants from mostly Egypt, Pakistan and Syria, who were seeking asylum from violence and political upheaval, reported The New York Times .

What happened?

Alarm Phone , an organization that reaches out to the European Coast Guard and demands aid for those who trigger an emergency alarm by calling, said they received multiple calls of distress. The migrants on the boat said they worried about the number of people on the boat, estimating that 750 people were onboard and covering every square inch of the deck.

The group said the first call came in on Tuesday morning and throughout the day it was eventually able to get the coordinates of the boat, which the group said were passed along to the Hellenic Coast Guard of Greece.

Earlier that same day, Italian authorities had notified Greece about a distress call they received coming from international waters, per a statement by the coast guard. Greek officials said that several offers of assistance were declined by those on board, saying they wished to continue on their journey to Italy.

With many people on board, there’s speculation that there could have been a disagreement about accepting help, reported The Washington Post .

On Wednesday night, the boat sank from what the Greek coast guard described as “a right turn, then a sharp left, and then another right so big that it caused the vessel to capsize,” reported the Times. It sank within 15 minutes.

Greek officials rescued 104 survivors 45 miles off the Greek coastal town of Pylos. They were flown to a hospital in Kalamata, per the Post.

What’s next?

Search and rescue is ongoing but it’s still unclear how many people are missing without a firm number on how many passengers were on board, reported the Times. The wreck sank in 13,000 feet of water, which would put it and its victims out of the range of divers.

Rescue operation under way after cargo ship sinks off Greece coast

Only one of 14 crew members found from the sunk cargo ship Raptor as Storm Oliver pummels the Mediterranean coast.

A major rescue operation is under way after a cargo ship carrying 14 crew members and a load of salt, sank off the coast of Lesbos island in Greece as high-speed winds tilted the vessel causing it to take on water.

The Comoros-flagged ship Raptor, which was travelling from Dekheila, Egypt to Istanbul, sank 4.5 nautical miles (8.3km) southwest of Lesbos early on Sunday.

Keep reading

Eu watchdog probes frontex’s action in greece boat tragedy, death toll rises to six in greece after floods, more than 880 rescued, death toll from flooding in central greece rises to 10, greece is fighting wildfires the wrong way.

According to the Greek coastguard, five cargo ships, three coast guard vessels, air force and navy helicopters as well as a navy frigate have joined the rescue effort to search for the crew members, of whom only one has been rescued.

The crew member was airlifted from the sea by a navy helicopter during gale force winds, according to the coastguard and taken to Lisbon General Hospital for treatment.

The ship first reported a mechanical failure at 7am local time (05:00 GMT), but by 8:20am, the captain had sent out a Mayday distress call and reported that the ship was tilting. The ship disappeared from the radar shortly after. Authorities suspect that the heavy load caused the ship to list and sink once it took on water.

The Athens News Agency (ANA), quoting the operating company of the ship based in Lebanon, said that crew members included Syrian, Indian and Egyptian nationals.

‘Dangerous weather phenomena’

Ships remained docked across several parts of Greece over the weekend, with wind speeds reaching 9-10 on the Beaufort scale, meaning a strong gale to storm force. The Beaufort scale which ranges from 0 to 12 estimates wind strength.

An emergency weather warning by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) was upgraded on Saturday from “worsening weather” to “dangerous weather phenomena”, as Storm Oliver (also called Bettina) moved from the Adriatic Sea toward Greece.

The country has been struck by repeated flooding over recent months after being hit by a series of storms.

Central Greece was devastated in September by cataclysmic amounts of rain dumped by Storm Daniel, destroying crops and killing tens of thousands of farm animals across a wide area that is the heart of Greece’s agricultural production.

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Salvage operation underway for grounded 49m superyacht 007 in Greece

A salvage operation is underway to remove the 49-metre Aegean Yacht 007  from her current resting place in the waters of Kythnos, in the Cyclades island chain in Greece.  The yacht was hoisted into an upright position in the early hours of March 21, and a post by the mayor of Kythnos, Mr Stamatios Garderis, said "it's a matter of hours to remove 007 ". The salvage operation began on March 6.

Prior to the removal, the semi-submerged superyacht had been in the same spot since she ran aground and listed in the late hours of  September 2 2022. It is understood that the incident occurred when the yacht struck an underwater obstacle as a result of a failure in the navigation system and began to take on water. Allegedly, she was then deliberately grounded to avoid sinking in deep water. 

The local Coast Guard confirmed she was resting on shallow rocks around 15 metres from the shoreline.

Authorities were quick to contain any potential pollution or debris within a floating sea wall but the extent of the damage to the local area is not yet known. At the time of the incident, five passengers were safely rescued from the yacht.

007 was delivered in 2006 by Bodrum-based shipyard Aegean Yacht as a 32 metre yacht. She has been extended twice since delivery, bringing her total LOA up to 49 metres.

The fate of the superyacht is still not known. 

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Sunken but not stirred.

Footage captured the calamitous moment that a massive superyacht named “007” sank — with five passengers inside — in Greece

The maritime disaster occurred Friday night after the 160-foot vessel, which reportedly sails under a British flag but is owned by a Swiss businessman, experienced a GPS malfunction off Kythos Island, SWNS reported. This reportedly prompted the captain to bring it closer to shore than was advisable.

As a result, the James Bond-themed luxury boat hit the rocks, and began taking on water with five passengers inside.

“In trying not to be sunk, he sailed closer to shore, in less than 10 meters depth — and that’s how the ship got to that position,” explained a boat owner who witnessed the catastrophe.

Accompanying footage, uploaded to YouTube, shows the swanky vessel, which sports a helipad, lying half-sunken on its side around 50 feet from the nearby Kolona Beach.

Thankfully, all five passengers were rescued and transported to safety before the “007” sank. “No people were hurt,” described the aforementioned eyewitness. “The coastguard was immediately aware and sent help in the night.”

Rescuers also erected an anti-pollution perimeter in the area, although there was reportedly “no diesel leakage or damage to the scenery,” the bystander said.

Local authorities will launch a probe into the sinking of the “007,” which was delivered in 2006 by the Bodrum-based shipyard Aegean Yacht, but whose owner remains unknown.

Along with a helipad, the superyacht reportedly boasts five cabins, including a master suite, and can reportedly sleep ten people.

This isn’t the first time a luxury vessel has visited Davy Jones’ locker of late. Last month, heart-pounding footage emerged of a 130-foot superyacht capsizing and sinking stern-first into the water off the Italian coast.

In February, a Ukrainian man was arrested for partially sinking his Russian tycoon boss’s $7.7 million luxury super yacht in Spain in protest over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Oh Nothing, Just a Few Photos of a $7 Million Super Yacht Sinking into the Sea

This week, a "super yacht" valued at somewhere between $6 and $7 million, ran into a reef and sank off the coast of Mykonos, Greece. Now it's important to note that everyone aboard was rescued unharmed... So you can feel free to look at these incredible photos from the Daily Mail guilt-free.

Here's what the yacht looked like before:

Here's what it looks like now:

According to the Daily Mail , the owner of the yacht is still unknown but the boat was flying an American Flag before it sank. I'm sure some insurance company is sending someone to Greece right now, to try to find a loophole in the coverage. "Oh, see, your policy only covered you on land. I know, it's weird. You must have checked the wrong box. Had you crashed a truck that was driving the yacht, you'd have been covered, but on the sea, unfortunately you're screwed."

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