ATHENS – The Greek authorities arrested nine Egyptians on Thursday accused of human trafficking in the framework of investigations into the sinking of a fishing boat in the Ionian Sea that left at least 78 dead and hundreds missing.
As reported by public television ERT, the nine Egyptians, who are among the 104 rescued from the shipwreck, face charges of forming a criminal organization with the aim of smuggling immigrants.
According to testimonies from some of those rescued reported by the Greek media, the almost 100-foot-long fishing boat initially left Egyptian shores, made a station in eastern Libya and then set sail for Italy.
The overloaded boat, in which between 500 and 700 migrants were traveling according to local media, sank after capsizing southwest of the Greek Peloponnese peninsula early Wednesday morning.
Hans Leijtens, executive director of Frontex, the border agency of the European Union (EU), went this Thursday to the headquarters of the port authority in the city of Kalamata, where the rescued have been transferred.
“I am here to better understand what happened and to express my solidarity and help to the Greek (Greek Coast Guard) colleagues who did everything possible to save lives,” Leijtens said.
The nine detainees had a website to attract people who want to emigrate to Europe and charged between $4,000 and $6,000 per migrant, ERT says.
