United Nations agencies have called for “urgent and decisive action” to be taken by the Europe Union to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean following the presumed drowning of hundreds of people this week off the coast of Greece.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a statement on Saturday that between 400 and 750 people are believed to have been on board the boat that capsized on Wednesday in the Ionian Sea some 47 nautical miles (87km) off Pylos.

In what could be one of the worst tragedies of its kind in the Mediterranean, hundreds remain missing and feared dead as just 104 people have been rescued to date and 78 bodies retrieved.

The boat that sank was reported to have been in distress since Tuesday morning but a search and rescue operation by the Hellenic Coast Guard was only launched after the boat capsized on Wednesday morning, according to the UN organisations.

“The duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay is a fundamental rule of international maritime law,” the IOM and UNHCR said.

“Both shipmasters and States have an obligation to render assistance to those in distress at sea regardless of their nationality, status or the circumstances in which they are found, including on unseaworthy vessels, and irrespective of the intentions of those onboard,” they said.

Source: Al Jazeera 

BDST: 1420 HRS, JUNE 17, 2023
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