The Coast Guard has launched an investigation in order to locate any further bodies and determine what caused the capsizing of the boat that was carrying the refugees off the coast of Farmakonisi on Sunday. A total of 99 refugees have been rescued and taken to Leros, while 34 bodies (including 15 children and infants) have been recovered.
The caretaker Ministry of Shipping Christos Zois has arrived in Farmakonisi via helicopter, while the Chief of the Coast Guard Athanasios Athanasopoulos and his second deputy Rear Admiral Nikolaos Patrinos are in charge of the search operation in the area.
It has not yet been determined how many were on board the boat. It has been suggested that some refugees jumped overboard when they noticed the boat’s engine was damaged, which in turn caused others to mover over to see what happened. The shift in weight balance, in this scenario, in conjunction with the rough seas may have caused the tragedy.
