At least 78 die, several missing after boat capsizes and sinks off Greece

At least 78 migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized and sank off the Peloponnese early on Wednesday, said the country's coast guard.

As per the coastguard, more people are feared missing in the incident and the death toll is expected to rise.

According to the authorities, at least 104 people were rescued but it is not yet clear how many people were aboard the vessel when it capsized. The incident is deemed the deadliest in the country this year.

The boat was spotted in international waters late on Tuesday by an aircraft that belonged to the European Union border agency Frontex, around 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the town of Pylos in southern Greece, said the coast guard. The boat was en route to Italy.

It further said that the ones aboard the boat had denied assistance offered by Greek authorities late on Tuesday. A few hours later, the boat sank which prompted a search and rescue operation.

It later said that none of the people aboard the boat were wearing life jackets, and also did not disclose their nationalities immediately.

According to the state broadcaster ERT, it had sailed from the Libyan town of Tobruk. It further said that most of the people on board were young men in their 20s.

The survivors were taken to the town of Kalamata, said the authorities.

'There could have been hundredsof people on board the boat', says the Coast Guard

Citing a migration ministry source, AFP reported that as per the coast guard, there could have been "hundreds" of people on board the boat.

"We fear there will be a very large number of missing persons," the official said.

Taking to Twitter, the International Organization for Migration said that they fearmore lives might have beenlost in the tragic incident.

"We fear more lives were lost. Initial reports suggest up to 400 people were on board," the organisation tweeted.

As per AFP reports, the rescue operation included navy vessels, an army plane, a helicopter and six other boats that were in the area.

"Since very early Wednesday, an extensive rescue operation is underway off Pylos, after a fishing boat capsized with a large number of migrants onboard," the coast guard said.

According to an official, the migration ministry would begin looking for accommodation for the ones rescued after they are processed by the coast guard to determine gender and nationality.

Greece's port police said that on Wednesday, a sailing boat in distress off Crete with about 80 migrants on board was rescued by a coastguard patrol and towed to port.

(With inputs from agencies)

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