Days after the devastating boat accident off the Greek coast, investigations have begun to determine who is to blame for the sinking of the boat and who the masterminds behind the smugglers are. Kassem and his friend Mahmoud have come to Kalamata from Germany. Kassem is looking for his wife – she was on the sunken boat. Mahmoud is supporting him. “We have given our information, such as photos and everything else we have, and they told us they would check it against what is known about the living and the dead. But no one has informed us yet,” says Kassem.
Kassem received the last message from his wife just before she boarded the boat in Libya. Since then, he has not heard anything from her. Many of the missing are likely to remain missing. Only 104 people were rescued alive. 78 bodies were recovered.
Most of the 500 to 700 people who were supposed to have been on the ship probably went down with it. Many women and children are believed to have been below deck.
Contradictory Statements About the Coast Guard
Meanwhile, the debate continues on how the accident could have happened, which occurred right in front of potential helpers. The role of the Greek coast guard in particular is unclear.
Several rescued migrants have reported that the Greek coast guard tried to tow their boat. A rescued individual who did not give his name describes the situation as follows: “The Greek coast guard came towards us. They threw a blue rope to us. We attached the rope to the ship. They began towing our ship.” The ship was made to wobble and sink as a result.
The Greek coast guard and authorities have vehemently denied the allegations. “We didn’t tow the ship,” says government spokesman Ilias Siakantaris. “There was a rope to stabilize it, to get closer to see if they needed help. They said they didn’t want help but wanted to go to Italy and continued on.”
At some point, according to the coast guard’s version of events, the boat stopped moving. The migrants aboard reportedly mentioned an engine problem, and shortly thereafter, the boat capsized and sank in a matter of minutes. Currently the story is one person’s word against another. The cause of the accident remains unclear.
Suspected Smugglers Arrested
Nine individuals have been arrested thus far: they were among those saved in the accident and are believed to have smuggled migrants. They are to be brought before the prosecutor’s office. One has already admitted to receiving money to carry out work on the boat during the crossing.
It is believed that the men are part of a large smuggling ring that organized up to 18 such trips from Libya to Italy over the past few months. It is a lucrative business: survivors have claimed to have paid €5,000 to €6,000 per person for a spot on the boat.
Greek authorities have now asked for help from the European police force Europol to track down the smuggling ring’s masterminds. It is believed that they are mainly based in Italy and Egypt.