Kalamata, Greece CNN —A boat that sank killing dozens of people was caused by a “sudden” shift in weight, Greek authorities said Thursday, in one of the largest-scale migrant vessel disasters in southern Europe this year. “A sudden shift in weight is likely to be the cause of what led the boat to capsize and then sink,” Hellenic Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told CNN on Thursday. A migrant vessel pictured by the Greek coast guard on June 13 sank in the Mediterranean on Wednesday. From their accounts there seem to have been women and children on board,” he told CNN while helping survivors on the ground. “These people had not eaten for many days, had not drunk water for many days, were burnt by the sun,” the Greek Rescue Team member told CNN affiliate CNN Greece.

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Persons: Greece CNN —, Nikos Alexiou, Thanasis Vasilopoulos, ”, “, –, ” Flavio Di Giacomo, Dimitris Chaliotis, Maria Triantou, Triantou, Frido Herinckx, ” Herinckx, Francesco Rocca, ” Rocca Organizations: Greece CNN, Hellenic Coast Guard, CNN, Rescuers, International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, ERT, NGO, Hellenic, Cross, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Greek Rescue, CNN Greece, ” CNN Locations: Kalamata, Greece, Europe, “, East, Asia, Africa, Tobruk, Libya, Italy, ‘ State, Hypocrates, Athens