At Least 300 Dead After Refugee Boat Sinks Off Greece, According To Pakistani Officials

Last week, a fishing boat full of refugees fleeing to Europe from Africa capsized in international waters. Over 100 were rescued, pulled from the surf and brought to the Greek port of Kalamata, but the full scale of the disaster was unclear — it was difficult to determine how many people were on the boat to begin with, let alone how many may still be alive to rescue. Now, however, firmer numbers appear to be coming out: Pakistani officials claim that over 300 people lost their lives when the fishing boat capsized.

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If that sounds odd, a Pakistani official commenting on a boat that left from Libya and sank near Greece, there’s a good reason behind it: Many of the passengers aboard the trawler were traveling from Pakistan — trying to escape the country’s financial woes, and find a better life with better jobs in Europe. If Pakistan’s numbers are correct, few people made it.

Photo: Hellenic Coast Guard (AP)

The fishing boat capsized on June 16, 47 miles southwest of Greece, after leaving from the city of Tobruk in Libya. It was bound for Italy, according to Greek officials, but the boat’s engine died before arriving at port. Members of the Hellenic Coast Guard approached the boat, and were told that help wasn’t needed before it sank.

Relatives of passengers, however, tell a slightly different story. In their telling, Greek authorities tried to tow the trawler to shore but attached their ropes incorrectly — pulling the boat down rather than pulling it to safety. This view, however, is disputed by the Hellenic Coast Guard, who claim that the boats present weren’t even capable of towing such a large ship.

The tragedy stands in stark contrast to another recent nautical incident — the disappearance of the Titan submarine, which has enraptured worldwide media (and earned four distinct posts on this website alone). While the sinking of this fishing boat is undoubtedly a much larger tragedy — both on the scale of lives lost, and on the Titan passengers’ consent compared to the desperation of the refugees aboard the trawler — it’s garnered less attention internationally.

Maybe that’s because it lacks the Google-friendly keyword of the Titanic, the clickiness of billionaires lost at sea, or the sheer schadenfreude of watching supposedly “smart” people pile into an obviously-slapdash submersible. Maybe the topic of financial unrest and refugees is uncomfortable, and forces us all to consider that we’re a lot more likely to end up on that battered blue fishing boat than dropping $250,000 for a seat in the Undersea Death Tube.

With any luck, none of us will end up on either. But, as the past week has shown, not everyone is so lucky.