At least 78 dead and ‘500 missing’ after boat capsizes off Greece in potentially worst sea disaster in living memory

AT least 78 people have been killed and another 500 are feared missing after a fishing boat packed with migrants capsized off the coast of southern Greece. Rescue workers are still frantically searching for survivors after the vessel – thought to be carrying up to 750 people – sank off the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday morning. APHundreds are feared to be missing after the boat carrying migrants capsized[/caption] APMore than 100 people have been rrom the waters off the coast of Greece[/caption] APFour survivors have been hospitalised with symptoms of hypothermia[/caption] The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya before it ran into trouble at around 2am. So far 78 bodies have been recovered according to the coastguard, with Greece declaring a three-day mourning period. Huge numbers of emergency personnel are continuing to scour parts of the Ionian Sea amid fears around 500 people are still missing. A survivor told hospital doctors in Kalamata that he had seen a hundred children in the boat’s hold, state broadcaster ERT said. Up to 750 people are suspected to have been crammed onboard the 30-metre-long vessel, a European rescue support charity said, although the exact number has not been confirmed. Coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told Greece’s MEGA TV.”It is not safe to give a number. We do not know how many people were in the hold.” Authorities announced 104 people had been rescued from the water following the horrifying incident. Four of the survivors were rushed to hospital via helicopter with symptoms of hypothermia. Six coast guard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport plane, an air force helicopter, several private vessels are continuing the search. A drone from the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, has also been brought in. However, the hunt for survivors of Greece’s deadliest migrant shipwreck this year has been hampered by strong winds. The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and Frontex about the approaching vessel on Tuesday. It was spotted in international waters but passengers “refused any help and stated their desire to continue their voyage” to officials – before their boat sank just hours later. None on board were wearing life jackets, the coastguard said. Alarm Phone, which operates a trans-European network supporting rescue operations, said it had received distress class late on Tuesday night before they lost contact. State broadcaster ERT said the majority of people on board were young men in their 20s. A shipping ministry official – who spoke on condition of anonymity -said most were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan. Erasmia Roumana, a member of the UNHCR refugee agency, told how survivors were “in a very bad psychological situation”. She added: “It’s really horrific. “Many are under shock, they are so overwhelmed. “Many of them worry about the people they travelled with, families or friends. They want to call their families and tell them that they arrived.” Greece is a major route for migrants to get into Europe from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. But people smugglers are increasingly taking larger boats into international waters to try to avoid local coast guard patrols. Tougher surveillance measures in Greece’s migrant camps brought in by Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ former government have also impacted this. According to the United Nations, around 72,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus so far this year, with the majority landing in Italy. The worst migrant tragedy in Greece was in June 2016, when at least 320 people were listed as dead or missing in a sinking near Crete, according to AFP records going back to 1993. APPassengers on the boat had refused help from Greek authorities before it sank[/caption] APUp to 750 people were said to have been crammed on the boat[/caption]