Shipwreck tragedy in Greece, relatives anxiously await news

At least 78 migrants died in a shipwreck off the coast of Greece on June 14. There were between 400 and 750 people on board when the accident occurred.

According to statistics, the shipwreck on June 14 off the coast of Greece was one of the worst and most heartbreaking incidents in years after authorities found 78 bodies of migrants, 104 were rescued and hundreds more were missing. Representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration were also present in southern Greece to join local authorities in providing support and assistance to the survivors.

In a joint statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that the duty to immediately rescue people in distress at sea is a fundamental provision of international maritime law. According to these agencies, the current approach to migrant routes across the Mediterranean into the EU is inappropriate.

Photo: according to dailysabah

According to figures released by the IOM, 3,800 people died on migration routes in and out of the Middle East and North Africa last year – the highest number since 2017. The recent tragedies continue to worry policy researchers as they have not found a suitable solution to reduce the flow of migrants to Europe.

The number of migrants has increased rapidly over the past year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said, calling on the European Union to put solidarity and shared responsibility at the heart of its actions in the Mediterranean.

Mr. Federico Soda, Director of Emergency Situations at IOM, said that countries need to cooperate with each other and address current gaps, actively search, rescue and bring people ashore quickly. Representatives of agencies also mentioned that it is necessary to increase patrolling and control activities and bring traffickers to light soon.

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