Migrant boat disaster in Greece: What we know so far
Around 750 men, women and children were said to be onboard the fishing boat before it capsized and sank 45 miles off southern Greece.
Wednesday 28 June 2023 12:46, UK
A fishing boat overloaded with migrants sunk off the coast of Greece - killing at least 78 people and leaving hundreds missing.
Greek authorities rescued 104 people from the vessel after it got into distress and sank 45 miles southwest of Peloponnese in the early hours of Wednesday 14 June. Seventy-eight bodies were recovered.
Aerial pictures of the boat before it capsized show the deck full of people, with the United Nations' International Organisation for Migration (IOM) saying around 750 men, women and children were on board.
With the missing presumed dead, the sinking is among the worst disasters in the Mediterranean on record.
Here, Sky News looks at what we know about the tragedy.
Where was the boat going - and what happened to it?
The fishing boat reportedly set sail from Egypt and stopped in the Tobruk area of eastern Libya before continuing its journey towards Italy.
It was between 20m and 30m long - and overloaded with people.
Both Greece and Italy are key entry points into the European Union for migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The boat was travelling around Greece's southern coast on Tuesday afternoon when it was spotted by the EU's Frontex border agency, which flagged it to both Greek and Italian authorities.
Greek officials say they made repeated offers of assistance, but the boat refused and said it wanted to sail straight on to Italy.
The charity Alarm Phone, which helps save migrants at sea, claims Greek authorities should have launched a rescue mission regardless and were trying to avoid further arrivals.
Distress calls flood in - one saying captain fled
Over the course of the afternoon, Alarm Phone says it received several distress calls from people on the boat.
One at around 5pm local time said the "captain left on a small boat" and asked "please, any solution".
The charity says it notified a nearby commercial ship from Malta, the "Lucky Sailor", which arrived with food and water around 6pm, followed by another boat - "Faithful Warrior" - at around 9pm.
Distress calls continued to come in to Alarm Phone and, just before 2am on Wednesday, one reported the boat's engine had failed.
Reports say the vessel, still overwhelmed with people, started veering side to side and capsized shortly after. It sunk completely in around 15 minutes
The coastguard launched a rescue mission with six of its boats, a navy frigate, a military transport place and an air force helicopter. They were helped by several private boats and a Frontex drone.
They brought 104 people to safety at Kalamata - the nearest Greek port - as well as recovering 78 bodies.
Originally they gave a death toll of 79, but it was later revised down.
How many people were on board?
The exact number of people on board is disputed.
Initially, the deputy mayor of Kalamata told Sky News there were around 550 people on board. But Alarm Phone and the UN's International Organisation for Migration said they believe there were up to 750 people.
Greek authorities say the dead were from Egypt, Syria, Pakistan and Palestine.
There were 310 people from Pakistan, 298 of which died and 12 who were rescued, the chairman of the country's senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, confirmed. There were 135 from the state of Kashmir alone.
All 104 people rescued by the coastguard were men.
A spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said among the estimated 500 missing were "large numbers of women and children".
It was feared they were being kept on the lower deck, so became trapped and drowned when the boat overturned.
A reporter for the Greek news channel ANT1 asked one survivor about a claim there were 100 children on board, to which they replied "yes".
Survivors who have spoken to Greek authorities say they paid $4,500 each to be taken to Italy.
Those rescued and taken ashore were treated for hypothermia, dehydration and psychological trauma - many in hospital.
They were then transferred to an immigration detention centre in Malakasa, central Greece.
Three days of national mourning and nine arrested - but who's to blame?
The Hellenic Coast Guard announced Greek authorities had arrested nine of the men they rescued from the boat for "illegal trafficking of foreigners".
They describe them as "crew of the ship… who had distinct roles in the transport of the rest" - and are all Egyptian nationals aged between 20 and 40.
They have since been charged and appeared in court, and will remain custody until their trial.
A judicial investigation into the sinking has been launched, but it is unlikely the boat will be resurfaced as the Mediterranean is particularly deep where it went down.
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While Greece declared three days of national mourning, there were protests in Athens and other cities where placards blamed the coastguard and the EU for the disaster.
Alarm Phone has repeatedly accused Greek border forces of refusing to help migrant boats - and actively pushing back vessels around its shores.
It says Greece's "hostile reputation" means people smugglers are trying to avoid it by taking much longer routes, which risks more lives being lost at sea.
Last month, Greece came under international criticism after a video appeared to show its coastguard deliberately abandoning migrants on a raft.
International maritime law states they must help boats in distress - whether they are sinking or on fire.
A Greek newspaper has reported that the coastguard tried to throw a rope to the boat in order to tow it on Tuesday, with some claiming this may have caused it to sink.
Coastguard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou denied those reports and defended its actions.
He said the vessel was being followed by the coastguard and private boats in international waters before it sank - and it refused offers of help over radio and loudspeaker.
Other Greek officials have speculated panic after the engine cut out could have been the cause of the sinking.
Meanwhile, there has been a crackdown on migrants in Libya, with thousands of people who have travelled from Egypt, Syria, Sudan and Pakistan - in the hope of crossing over to Europe - detained or returned.
The summer weather has still seen people traffickers take advantage of calmer conditions and increase numbers doing the dangerous crossing.
More than 20,000 people have died attempting the journey since 2014.