Eighteen minors, seven women and 55 men among 80 survivors of Kythera shipwreck
There were 18 minors, seven women and 55 men among the 80 survivors of a sailing boat that was shipwrecked after hitting rocks off the coast of the Diakofti region on the island of Kythira on Thursday.
The local coast guard continued a search on Thursday to locate 15 persons missing at sea after the shipwreck, under adverse weather conditions due to strong winds of up to 10 Beaufort, while 11 of those who were rescued were transferred to the General Hospital of Kythira, for further medical examination.
According to reports, there were a total of 95 migrants on board the sailboat.
The recovery of yet another dead body at 10:00 on Thursday has raised the death toll from the sinking of a migrant boat in the area of Petalidi, near the island of Lesvos, to 17. The body belonged to a 15-year-old boy who was added to the list of 16 dead women, mostly of Afghan origin.
Moreover, a woman was found alive, raising the number of rescued women to 10. All of them were transferred to Mytilene hospital. Alternate Health Minister Mina Gaga visited the rescued individuals and, in an interview, expressed her sorrow for the victims. She said she met with the rescued women, who asked about the fate of their siblings. Gaga also said that all of them are well and are receiving the necessary healthcare.
Operation underway in Kythira to locate persons missing at sea – At least 80 people rescued
At least 80 migrants have been rescued so far and another 15 were reported missing on Thursday, after a sailboat half-sank in the sea beneath a cliff face in Diakofti, Kythira. The Coast Guard’s search for the missing was continuing in adverse weather conditions, with winds of 8 to 10 Beaufort blowing in the area.
According to reports, a total of 95 migrants had been on board the sailboat when one of the passengers notified authorities at midnight that the boat was in danger. The sailing vessel had collided with rocks and was partly submerged. A nearby ship, a Navy helicopter, officials of the Port Authority, police and fire brigade officials, as well as volunteer rescuers, were at the scene, including a coast guard special missions team and a Underwater Missions Unit team.
Fifteen migrants (11 men and 4 women) of African origin found wandering in Mytilini on Thursday were part of a migrant boat that sank off Lesvos earlier in the day, said the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR-Greece).
The migrant boat sank near Petalidi. Of the 43 passengers so far known, the toll of the dead rose to 18 following the recovery of two more bodies midday on Thursday. The bodies recovered so far belong to 16 women, a 15-year-old boy, and an adult male.
The 25 people (14 men, 11 women) rescued in total at Lesvos include a woman found alive later in the day and were transferred to Mytilene hospital.
Alternate Health Minister Mina Gaga visited the rescued individuals at the hospital and in statements later expressed her sorrow for the victims and said survivors are well and are receiving the necessary healthcare, while rescued women were asking about the fate of their siblings.
Source: amna.gr
