The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed its deep sorrow over the tragic deaths in the Aegean Sea in the last week. He said at least 31 people had been killed in three separate shipwrecks between December 21 and 24, with the number of missing still unknown.
More than 160 people were rescued by the Greek Navy with the assistance of the Navy and the Air Force, as well as merchant ships and private boats. The efforts of all those involved in order to bring the survivors to a safe place are commendable.
“It is really painful that refugees and migrants are forced to entrust their lives to unscrupulous traffickers, due to their despair and lack of safe roads. More decisive action is needed to stem the tide of traffickers and to stop those who exploit human suffering and despair. It is heartbreaking to see such tragedies repeated, which can be avoided. “We should not get used to the image of corpses being pulled from the sea,” said Maria-Clara Martin, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Greece.
“In the first shipwreck that took place off Folegandros on December 21, 13 people were rescued and the bodies of three men were pulled from the sea. One of the survivors told the Coast Guard that there may have been as many as 50 people in the boat that transported them without rescue equipment. The second shipwreck north of Antikythera resulted in the loss of 11 lives, while 88 people were rescued.
In addition, on Christmas Eve, a boat carrying at least 80 passengers sank near Paros, claiming the lives of 17 people, including an infant. Sixty-three people were rescued and transported to Paros, where the local authorities and the residents of the island rushed to help with blankets, food and clothes “, notes the High Commission.
The UNHCR estimates that from January to the end of November this year, more than 2,500 people died or went missing at sea trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean and North West Africa.
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