A yacht carrying more than 100 migrants sank approximately 40 kilometers off the southeastern coast of the “Peloponnese” peninsula, according to Greek government media outlets on Friday.
Greece’s government TV station, “ERT,” cited the Greek Coast Guard, stating that four ships and three patrol boats belonging to the coast guard have reached the yacht’s wreckage, and rescue operations are underway after the migrants on board sent a distress signal. The Greek channel also reported that a helicopter participated in the rescue efforts.
Human traffickers routinely transport individuals on perilous sea journeys from Turkey and North African countries to Western and Central Europe. Migrants often pay thousands of euros for the journey. Many times, far too many people are placed aboard boats that are barely seaworthy, leading to tragic incidents.
In the past four days, the Greek Coast Guard has arrested about 150 migrants in the Aegean Sea.
On June 14th, hundreds of migrants who were attempting to cross from Libya to Italy drowned when an overcrowded fishing boat sank off the Greek coast. On that voyage, 104 people survived and 82 bodies were retrieved.
UN data indicates that more than 1,800 people have perished since January in shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean Sea, which is considered the world’s deadliest migration route. This number is almost double that of the previous year.
