Nine Egyptians, suspected of being smugglers involved in the sinking of a migrant boat off the coast of Greece that killed at least 82 people, have been charged with "illegal trafficking" of human beings and placed in pre-trial detention, it was learned Tuesday, June 20 from Greek judicial sources.
The nine men, survivors of this tragedy that could have caused hundreds of victims, were arrested last Thursday in Kalamata, a port in southwestern Greece where the 104 survivors of this shipwreck, one of the worst in the eastern Mediterranean in recent years, had been transported.
Aged between 20 and 40, they are also being prosecuted for forming "a criminal organisation" and for "negligent homicide". They face a life sentence, according to Greek law.
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During their appearance of more than 10 hours Tuesday before an investigating judge in Kalamata (southwest), they all denied the charges, according to the same source.
Hopes are almost zero
The deadly shipwreck, billed as one of the most serious involving migrants in the Mediterranean, took place on the night of June 13-14 47 nautical miles (87 km) off the coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in international waters, according to the Greek Coast Guard.
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A navy frigate, a patrol boat and four other boats continued the search in the area all day Tuesday for the seventh day in a row, according to authorities, but hopes of finding possible survivors are almost nil.
Seventy-eight bodies were recovered at sea the day after the sinking. Three more were discovered in the area of the sinking on Monday, then another on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to at least 82.
With AFP
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