Greece boat tragedy: Pakistanis were singled out to go below deck, says report

Migrants from Pakistan appeared to have been singled out and forced to go below deck on the boat that sank off the Greek coast last Wednesday (June 14), Guardian has reported. Even today, about 500 people travelling in the boat are reportedly still missing. The Guardian reported that Pakistanis were forced to go below deck and other nationalities stayed on the upper deck where they stood a greater chance of surviving in the event the boat sank, which it did.

The news report also states some discrepancies in the claims made by surviving migrants and Greek authorities. The Guardian has cited leaked testimonies from the survivors to Greek coastguards to report the predicament of Pakistani nationals.

The testimonies from the survivors reportedly say that women and children were "locked up" in the hold below the deck under the pretext that they were to be 'protected' by men on the boat that was overcrowded. It is believed that no women or children were among the survivors.

According to The Observer, Pakistani nationals were mistreated by other nationalities when they searched for freshwater or tried to escape.

Pakistani media is reporting that at least 298 Pakistanis died in the tragedy out of which 135 were from the Pakistani side of Kashmir.

Survivors have reportedly told the authorities that the situation on the boat was dire even before it capsized. There was a shortage of fresh water and six people had already died before the tragedy.

“I can testify that these people were asking to be saved by any authority,” said Nawal Soufi, a Moroccan-Italian social worker as quoted by The Guardian. 

The Greek government has said that passengers told the coastguard that they did not need any help and wanted to go to Italy.

The testimonies have reportedly revealed that the boat's engine failed days before it sank.

“We started the journey at dawn on Friday. Around 700 of us were on board,” a migrant told the coastguard as per The Guardian.

“We were travelling for three days and then the engine failed.”

Greece, Italy and Spain have for long been the main landing points for thousands of people seeking to illegally enter Europe from Africa and West Asia.

Greece is also facing an increase in crossing attempts from Turkey on southern routes near the Cyclades islands and toward the Peloponnese peninsula, hoping to avoid patrols in the northern Aegean Sea. 

Rescue operations are common, but last month the Greek government came under international pressure over video footage reportedly showing the forceful expulsion of migrants who were set adrift at sea. 

Greece and other EU member states on the south and southeastern rim of the bloc say they are being unfairly tasked with managing the arrivals of undocumented migrants.