Nine Egyptian nationals arrested for trafficking after Greece migrant ship tragedy

The Greek authorities have arrested nine survivors from the fishing boat that capsized and sank 80 kilometres off the country's coast. They have been arrested on suspicions of belonging to the smuggling ring that had arranged the fateful voyage.

The nine arrested are all Egyptian nationals and include the captain of the dilapidated vessel.They were rounded up from the port of Kalamata where the survivors are being cared for at the moment.

The arrests were a result of two days of interviews with the survivors, "cross-referencing the information and honing down the possibilities of who among the survivors might have been part of the trafficking ring that profited from this enterprise and the profits are enormous", according to an Al-Jazeera report.

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The publication stated that going by the assessment of one of the migrants on the boat, everyone on board paid at least $4,000 to $5,000 to undertake the voyage,meaning, the entire ship and its human cargo was worth in excess of $3.5 million.

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 headed to Italy.

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.

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100 children were onboard

The authorities fear that by the time the rescue operation concludes, the death toll could run into hundreds.

"We are witnessing one of the biggest tragedies in the Mediterranean and the numbers announced by the authorities are devastating," the UN International Organization for Migration said.

Survivors say the boat was practically packed in every corner and had no lifeboats or any safety measures in place. Some unconfirmed reports say as many as 750 people were onboard including 100 children.

“The fishing boat was 25-30 metres long. Its deck was full of people, and we assume the interior was just as full," a coastguard spokesperson said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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