Nine Egyptians, allegedly the traffickers of the shipwreck off Pylos, before the examining magistrate

The nine Egyptians alleged to be the traffickers in the tragic shipwreck off the coast of Pylos were brought before the examining magistrate of Kalamata on Monday.

The Egyptian are facing charges for establishing a criminal organisation related with the trafficking of undocumented migrants, causing a shipwreck due to negligence and endangering human lives.

Μeanwhile, Coast Guard search and rescue operation to locate missing persons after the sinking of a fishing boat with an unknown number of migrants on board off the coast of Pylos continued on Monday.

A total of 104 people have been rescued and 78 dead bodies have been retrieved so far. A Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel, a Greek Navy frigate, a Coast Guard helicopter and three vessels sailing nearby are taking part in the search.

The body of a migrant was recovered by the Hellenic Coast Guard on Tuesday, close to the site of a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants on June 14, raising the death toll to 82.

Three more bodies were recovered on Monday, which had raised the initial death toll from 78 to 81 after a fishing boat capsized in international waters off Pylos, SW Greece.

The body was transferred to the port city of Kalamata, which is where the 104 survivors received emergency humanitarian and medical care before 71 of them were transferred to a special facility in Malakassa, north Attica, last Friday.

Searches for bodies continued on Tuesday by a navy frigate and another four ships, assisted by a coast guard vessel.

Media reports had claimed that up to 700 people were likely riding on the overcrowded boat, with women and children allegedly kept in the hold.

Source: amna.gr