Survivors of a fishing boat that sank off southern Greece in Europe’s worst migrant disaster say there could be 100 children on board.
At least 78 people have been confirmed dead in this disaster.
But scores more may still be missing at sea, with 750 people aboard, according to reports.
JEE News is reporting that 11 to 12 arrests have been made at the Kalamata Port Authority.
The country’s coast guard was criticized for not intervening earlier, but officials say their offer of assistance was rejected.
Rescue workers are still engaged in a massive search in the seas off Greece, as hopes of finding more survivors dwindle.
Shocking accounts of the large number of women and children aboard the ship have been revealed by medics who treated the mostly male survivors.
According to reports, the boat was traveling from Libya to Italy before it capsized.
A senior doctor at Kalamata General Hospital, who treated survivors of Wednesday’s shipwreck, told JEE News there were about 100 children on board.
Cardiology chief Dr Manolis Maccarus said: “They (survivors) told us there were children under the ship. Children and women.”
He said that two patients had given him estimated figures.
“One told me about 100 children, another about 50, so I don’t know the truth – but it’s a lot,” he added.
Dr. Makris said that he believed that more than 600 people could be killed in this disaster.
He said that the exact number of people on board the boat was 750.
Dr Makris said the families of some of the missing Egyptian children had sent him photographs of their young relatives, hoping he would recognize them after treating them.
“It was a tragedy,” he said. “Everyone in Europe must not accept this situation. We have to do something. Everyone has to do something so that this does not happen again.”
A reporter from Greece’s ANT1 channel asked one survivor if there were 100 children on board, to which the survivor replied: “Yes.”
The charity Save the Children gave the same number, citing the testimonies of survivors. JEE News has not been able to independently verify this figure.
But Greek government spokesman Ilias Tsikantaris said there were unconfirmed reports that a total of 750 people were on board.
“We don’t know what was in the hold… but we know that many traffickers lock people up to maintain control,” he told JEE News.
Families of some of the missing have reached Kalamata in search of their loved ones.
“My relatives were on the boat,” said Aftab, who traveled from Britain and said at least four of his relatives from Pakistan were unaccounted for.
“We have been confirmed. We have found a relative at the [rescue centre],” he told JEE News.
A Syrian man from the Netherlands broke down when he discovered his wife and brother-in-law were missing.
