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☆ Greek PM says not fair to manage EU migration problem alone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Greek coast guard rescued 104 people but hundreds of migrants drowned after an overloaded boat capsized and sank in international waters off Greece's Pylos on June 14, in one of Europe's deadliest shipping disasters in recent years. Survivors have said that the ship capsized after a disastrous towing attempt by the Greek coast guard, which Greece denies. Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Mitsotakis is expected to meet re-elected Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO Summit this week. Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Renee Maltezou, Christina Fincher Organizations: European Union, EU, Latvian, NATO, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Pylos, Riga, East, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Greece’s, EU

☆ Families of missing in Greece migrant boat disaster plead for recovery of bodies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Karolina Tagaris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] Adil Hussain, 44, from Pakistan, whose brother Matloob, 43, went missing after a deadly migrant shipwreck off the coast of Greece last month, cries during an interview with Reuters in Athens, Greece, July 4, 2023. If they are dead, take them out," Adil Hussain said, urging Greece to hire a vessel to recover them. Lawyers representing families of the missing plan on Thursday to ask judicial authorities investigating the case for the boat to be retrieved. Survivors have said that the ship capsized after a disastrous towing attempt by the Greek coast guard, which Greece denies. A spokeswoman for Pakistan's Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said bodies would be transported to Pakistan upon verification and release by the Greek authorities.

Persons: Adil Hussain, Matloob, Stelios Misinas, Matloob Hussain, Adil, Hussain, we'll, Takis Zotos, Zotos, Alam Shinwari, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Muhammad Ayub, Muhammad Yasin, Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Gibran Peshimam, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Titanic, Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, Pakistan's Foreign, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Greece, Athens, Stelios Misinas ATHENS, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Italy, Pylos, Turkey, Islamabad

Some also said the tragic end, when it came, was precipitated by the actions of the Greek coastguard. after a Greek coastguard vessel attached a rope to the bow of the trawler and began to pull it while picking up speed. The shipping ministry, which oversees the coastguard, told Reuters it couldn't comment on issues that were the subject of a confidential and ongoing investigation by prosecutors. Nikos Spanos, a retired admiral in the Greek coastguard, told Reuters it was unlikely that a coastguard vessel would have attempted such a dangerous manoeuvre as towing the stricken trawler. Three survivors told authorities they paid anywhere from 50 to 200 euros ($55-220) extra for places on the outer deck, considered safer.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, Adriana, haven't, Mohamed, Nikos Spanos, Renee Maltezou, Jonathan Saul, Riham, Rachel Armstrong, Pravin Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Greek coastguard, coastguard, Reuters, GO, Thomson Locations: Greece, Kalamata, KALAMATA, North Africa, Italy, Greek, GO ITALY, Pylos, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, Tobruk, Europe, Tunisia, Libya, Athens, London, Berlin

☆ Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis wins repeat election, securing clear parliamentary majority
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of Greece’s center-right New Democracy party, has won a second four-year term as prime minister. During his election campaign, Mitsotakis vowed to further extend a 35-kilometer fence at the Greek-Turkey border, to block migrants trying to enter Greece. Fueled by May’s initial election results, Greek bonds and stocks have rallied with optimism that a pro-investment government could prevent financial backsliding. Other fringe far-right entries to the race included the nationalist party Greek Solution and the ultra-religious, anti-abortion Niki. “But despite the populist cacophony, Mitsotakis’ strong victory provides the new government a clear mandate to govern.”

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, ”, “, Syriza, “ Mitsotakis, Nick Malkoutzis, ” Mitsotakis, Alexis Tsipras –, –, Tsipras, Wolfgango Piccoli, Vassiliki Georgiadou, Ilias Kasidiaris, Niki Organizations: CNN, Democracy, New Democracy, PASOK, KKE, Panteion University, Spartans, Nazi, Freedom Locations: Greece, Pylos, Turkey, Europe, New, Athens, Golden

ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Reuters) - At least 350 Pakistanis were on an overloaded boat that capsized and sank in open seas off Greece last week, Pakistan's Interior Minister said on Friday, promising to arrest and prosecute the human smugglers responsible. Another 193 Pakistani families have taken DNA tests to try to identify those who died in one of Europe's deadliest shipping disasters in recent years, he said. Pakistan said it has arrested several human traffickers and their agents who told authorities that their ring leader was based in Libya. These human smugglers had charged around $8,000 a person to take them to Europe illegally through the sea route after flying legally to Dubai, Egypt and Libya, authorities said. Reporting by Asif Shahzad, writing by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Shivam Patel, Christina Fincher and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rana Sanaullah, Sanaullah, Asif Shahzad, Tanvi Mehta, Shivam Patel, Christina Fincher, Conor Humphries Organizations: Pakistan's, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Greece, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Pylos, Libya, Europe, Dubai

☆ At least 209 Pakistanis were on board migrant boat that sank off Greece, data suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 22 - At least 209 Pakistanis were on an overloaded boat that capsized and sank in open seas off Greece last week, according to data shared with Reuters on Thursday by a Pakistani investigative agency. Hundreds of people from different countries are believed to have been on board the vessel, in what is seen as the worst sea disaster in years for the region. Pakistan is yet to officially confirm how many of its citizens were on the boat, but kick-started a DNA sampling effort to help Greece identify those who died. The data shared by the FIA showed that 181 people were from Pakistan and 28 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Greece has charged nine Egyptian men over the shipwreck, the worst in the Mediterranean Sea this year, and placed them in detention pending trial.

Persons: Rana Abdul Jabbar Organizations: Reuters, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, FIA Islamabad, Officials, Thomson Locations: Greece, Libya, Pakistan, Kashmir, Pylos

☆ Greece boat tragedy: At least 209 Pakistanis were on board, data suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, June 14, 2023. The FIA has been tasked by the Pakistan government with handling investigations into the tragedy. Pakistan is yet to officially confirm how many of its citizens were on the boat, but kick-started a DNA sampling effort to help Greece identify those who died. The data shared by the FIA showed that 181 people were from Pakistan and 28 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The FIA said 29 suspected human smugglers had been arrested in Pakistan so far over the case.

Persons: Rana Abdul Jabbar, Gibran Naiyyar, Sudipto Ganguly, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Reuters, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, FIA Islamabad, Officials, Thomson Locations: Greece, KARACHI, Pakistan, Pakistani, Libya, Kashmir, Pylos

☆ Greece boat disaster: 12 Pakistanis among survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, June 17 (Reuters) - Twelve Pakistanis were among survivors from a boat packed with migrants that capsized off the coast of Greece this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the government was unable so far to verify the number of Pakistanis who died, or their identities. People seeking missing relatives were urged to share with the ministry identity documents and DNA reports from authenticated laboratories, she said. Greek authorities have said 104 survivors and 78 bodies of the dead were brought ashore in the immediate aftermath. Most of the people on board were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan, Greek government officials have said.

Persons: Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Ariba Shahid, Frances Kerry Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Greece, Pylos, Egypt, Syria, Karachi

☆ Greece boat disaster: A Pakistani father's anguish over his missing son
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Now, the father fears his son was among those lost in a disastrous boat capsize off Greece on Wednesday in which hundreds of people are thought to have died, among them Pakistanis. Mehmood, 60, said a local travel agent had charged 2.2 million Pakistani rupees ($7,653) for his son's trip, with the promise he would earn well in Europe. He said he last heard from his son when Sultan got on a boat, which he believes was the doomed vessel. "He sent a (text) message saying that he was sitting in a boat with around 400- 500 people. Most of the people on board the capsized boat were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan, Greek government officials have said.

Persons: Shahid Mehmood, Sultan, Mehmood, Adnan Iftikhar, Shahbaz Sharif, Ariba Shahid, Frances Kerry Organizations: country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Pakistani, Europe, Greece, Faisalabad, Dubai, Egypt, Libya, Tripoli, Pylos, Syria, Karachi

☆ Greece gets new alert about migrant vessel two days after disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, June 16 (Reuters) - Italy on Friday alerted Greece to a vessel holding dozens of migrants sailing off the southern coastal town of Pylos, two sources said, just two days after an overcrowded fishing boat sank nearby killing at least 78 people. "It is sailing about 100 miles west of Pylos, it was located by an Italian aircraft," a Greek government official told Reuters, adding that the alert was received around 1500 GMT. The vessel appeared to be sailing towards Italy, a second official said, adding that it was located in Greece's search and rescue jurisdiction but was very close to Italy's jurisdiction. Greece rescued 104 people but hundreds are missing, with some witnesses saying up to 750 people were on board when it sank. Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Italy, Greece, Pylos, Italian

☆ Emotional reunion amid despair as Greece searches for shipwreck survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Lefteris Papadimas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster 104 survivors and 78 people who drowned were brought to shore by Greek authorities, but nothing has been found since. They wept and hugged through metal barricades, erected by Greek police around a warehouse in Kalamata where survivors had been sleeping for the past two days. Survivors who spoke to Greek authorities said they paid $4,500 each to go to Italy. The group, Alarm Phone, said it had alerted Greek authorities and aid agencies hours before the disaster unfolded. Greek authorities denied accounts that surfaced late on Thursday that the boat flipped after the coastguard attempted to tow it.

Persons: Mohammad, Fadi, Fedi, Stelios Misinas, Nikos Alexiou, Renee Maltezou, Michele Kambas, Alex Richardson Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Greek coastguard, coastguard, ERT, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Greece, Syrian, KALAMATA, Greek, Kalamata, Pylos, Syria, Netherlands, Italy, Egypt, Tobruk, Malakasa, Athens

☆ Greece hunts for survivors of migrant shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KALAMATA, Greece, June 15 (Reuters) - Rescuers were scouring the seas off Greece on Thursday in a massive search operation as hopes dwindled for survivors of a shipwreck that killed at least 79 people, in one of Europe's deadliest such disasters in recent years. As dawn broke on Thursday, a coast guard vessel sailed into the nearby port city of Kalamata, transferring victims of the year's deadliest shipwreck off Greece. [1/3] Men transfer body bags carrying migrants who died after their boat capsized in the open sea off Greece, onboard a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel at the port of Kalamata, Greece, June 15, 2023. Aerial pictures released by the Greek coast guard showed dozens of people on the boat's upper and lower decks looking up, some with arms outstretched, hours before it sank. Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Persons: Nikos Alexiou, Stelios Misinas, Stamos Prousalis, Michele Kambas, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Authorities, Organization for Migration, Skai, Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, European Union, NATO, United Nations, Thomson Locations: KALAMATA, Greece, Pylos, Kalamata, Tobruk, Italy, East, Asia, Africa, Libya, Europe

☆ Greece scours shipwreck site; hundreds feared drowned in boat's hold
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Stamos Prousalis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"When you are faced with such a situation... you need to be very careful in your actions," coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou told state broadcaster ERT. Citing initial testimonies from survivors, Save the Children charity said around 100 children were believed to be in the vessel's hold. Of the 104 survivors so far transferred by the coast guard to the Greek port city of Kalamata, most were men, authorities said. The search operation will continue for as long as needed, the coast guard said. Aerial pictures released by the Greek coast guard showed dozens of people on the boat's upper and lower decks looking up, some with arms outstretched, hours before it sank.

Persons: Nikos Alexiou, Daniel Gorevan, Stelios Misinas, Nawal Soufi, Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Karolina Tagaris, Angelo Amante, Michele Kambas, John Stonestreet, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Rescuers, ERT, Organization for Migration, EU, Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Independent, European Union, NATO, United Nations, Thomson Locations: KALAMATA, Greece, Pylos, Italy, Europe, Kalamata, Athens, Tobruk, East, Asia, Africa, Libya, Lefteris, Rome

☆ At Least 78 Die as Migrant Ship Sinks Near Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Cora Engelbrecht | Niki Kitsantonis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At least 78 people drowned in the Aegean Sea after a large fishing boat carrying migrants sank early Wednesday, the Greek Shipping Ministry 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. The boat foundered about ‌50 miles southwest of the city of Pylos, in southern Greece, after the authorities were alerted to its unusual movements on Tuesday‌, according to a statement from the Greek Coast Guard. A Greek Shipping Ministry official said that the boat had refused assistance offered by the authorities. He also said that cargo ships in the area had given the migrants food and water.

Organizations: Greek Shipping Ministry, Greek Coast Guard Locations: Aegean, Pylos, Greece

[1/5] A migrant is transferred by rescue personnel, following a rescue operation, after their boat capsized at open sea, in Kalamata, Greece, June 14, 2023. Eurokinissi via REUTERSATHENS, June 14 (Reuters) - At least 59 migrants drowned early on Wednesday and more were feared missing after their overloaded boat capsized and sank off Greece in the country's deadliest shipwreck this year, the coast guard said. "We fear the number of dead will rise," said a shipping ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity. A coast guard vessel then approached the boat, which was en route to Italy, and offered help. The large number of migrants on its outer deck "refused assistance and stated their desire to continue their voyage," the coast guard said.

Persons: Karolina Tagaris, Sharon Singleton, John Stonestreet Organizations: Eurokinissi, REUTERS, EU, Frontex, State, ERT, European Union, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Kalamata, Greece, REUTERS ATHENS, Pylos, Italy, Libyan, Tobruk, Crete, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, East, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Spain, Malta, Cyprus

CNN —At least 79 people died after a migrant boat carrying hundreds of people sank off the Greek coast in the early hours of Wednesday, that country’s Coast Guard said, as fears mount that there could be more fatalities. Those on board said the captain left the vessel three hours after the first distress call was made and passengers were in need of food and water, accoring to Alarm Phone. A merchant vessel is said to have provided the boat with water at around 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday evening. The last time Alarm Phone was able to contact the boat was just before 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning. According to Alarm Phone, all that could be heard was “Hello my friend… The ship you send is…” before the call cut off.

Persons: Thanasis Vasilopoulos, “, ”, Panagiotis Nikas, Antonio Guterres, I’ve, …, Katernina Sakellaropoulou, ” Vasilopoulus Organizations: CNN, Coast Guard, ” Kalamata, AP Migrants, Reuters, Organization for Migration, UN, Twitter, ERT, AP, European Union, UNHCR Locations: Kalamata, “, www.argolikeseidhseis.gr, Eurokinissi, State, Tobruk, Libya, Pylos, Peloponnese, Italy, Greece, East, Asia, Africa, Europe

Greek authorities said it was too soon to speculate on the total number. Greek authorities said it remained unclear how many the vessel was carrying when it went under, and that 104 people had been rescued by midday. We do not know how many people were in the hold," Greek coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou told Greece's MEGA TV. [1/4] Rescuers transfer a migrant to an ambulance following a rescue operation after their boat capsized at open sea, in Kalamata, Greece, June 14, 2023. Italian authorities then alerted Greece to the vessel's presence, and the Greek coast guard approached it and offered help.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Nikos Alexiou, Greece's, Filippo Grandi, Stelios, Mitsotakis, Stamos Prousalis, Karolina Tagaris, Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, John Stonestreet, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European Union, ERT, Twitter, Greece's MEGA, Refugees, REUTERS, EU, Frontex, NATO, Wednesday, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KALAMATA, Greece, East, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Italy, Libyan, Tobruk, Crete, Europe, Kalamata, Pylos, capsizing, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Athens, Libya, EU, Europe's, Geneva, Reuters Libya

☆ Archeologists made a game-changing discovery at Greece's oldest dig site where ancient humans used to roam 700,000 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Nicholas Paphitis | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Archeologists discovered simple stone tools that date back an estimated 700,000 years. The discovery was made at Greece's oldest site where ancient humans were thought to exist. The Greek site was one of five investigated in the Megalopolis area during a five-year project involving an international team of experts, a Culture Ministry statement said. This skull from a member of the deer family was also discovered at the dig site Megalopolis, southern Greece. These stone tools, discovered at the dig site Megalopolis, southern Greece, date back about 700,000 years ago.

Persons: —, Panagiotis Karkanas, Eleni Panagopoulou, Katerina Harvati, Homo antecessor, antecessor, directorss, Nikos Efstratiou, Efstratiou, Megalopolis Organizations: Service, Ministry, Greek Culture Ministry, American School of Classical Studies, Athens, University of Tübingen, Associated Press, Greece's University of Thessaloniki Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Europe, Spain, Germany, Megalopolis, Mycenae, Olympia, Pylos

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