“Until now, 78 bodies have been recovered from the wreck of Pylos, which were transported to Athens, for their forensic examination, photography, fingerprinting and taking of biological material,” the representative of the Disaster Victim Identification Group, a police officer, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. Vasilis Makris.

Police officers and medical examiners participate in this Group, while it was formed immediately after the Pylos wreck, following a request from the Coast Guard to ELAS.

“We are taking statements from the 104 people who survived the wreck and we are trying to find out how many more were on board, while we are investigating if there is evidence to make a list of missing persons,” Mr. Makris then points out.

“In case someone is a first degree relative, we also take a sample of biological material from survivors to compare with the sample that will be taken from the bodies.”

As for whether there is still any assessment for him exact number of people who were on board, the representative of the Disaster Victim Identification Team notes:

“Estimates of the number of people cannot be exact, because even the statements of the people who were in it show inconsistencies. These people packed up, were on top of each other, and traveled for days. No one knows exactly how many days they traveled.”

As Mr. Makris points out, those on board the ship, which left Libya, did not want to come to Greece, but to reach Italy. The ship sent an SOS signal to the Italian authorities, who in turn informed the Greek authorities.

“We feel heartbreak and sympathy for these people who, under miserable conditions, were traveling for a better future. Note, that from the first moment everyone rushed here to help with all their might”, the representative of the Disaster Victim Identification Group also emphasizes to APE – MPE.