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SEA HELL
Smugglers hid among survivors of ‘worst sea disaster in memory’ as at least 78 dead and up to 500 missing off Greece
SMUGGLERS hid among survivors after saving themselves when an overcrowded boat full of migrants capsized in waters off southern Greece, coastguard officials say.
At least 78 people have died and up to 500 are missing after the packed vessel sank off the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday morning.
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The Italy-bound boat - thought to be carrying up to 750 people - is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya before it ran into trouble at around 2am.
So far 78 bodies have been recovered according to the coastguard, with Greece declaring a three-day mourning period.
Huge numbers of emergency personnel are continuing to scour parts of the Ionian Sea amid fears around 500 people are still missing - including women and children.
Coastguard officials said they have brought in 11 suspected smugglers in for questioning, describing them as Egyptian nationals.
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One official said: "They know how to hide among survivors. And they're very good at saving themselves.
"The survivors are all men and in a very bad psychological state."
Up to 750 people are suspected to have been crammed onboard the 30-metre-long vessel, a European rescue support charity said, although the exact number has not been confirmed.
Authorities announced 104 people - all men - had been rescued from the water following the horrifying incident.
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A senior Greek police official told The Sun authorities believed "as many as 500" people could still be unaccounted for.
Chief inspector Nicholas Spanoudakis said: "We have 78 victims and 104 survivors and believe as many as 500 could still be missing.
"Nothing has been confirmed but that is what we believe."
Six coast guard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport plane, an air force helicopter, several private vessels are continuing the search, with authorities stationed at Kalamata port.
A drone from the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, has also been brought in.
However, the hunt for survivors of Greece's deadliest migrant shipwreck this year has been hampered by strong winds and heavy rain.
Kalamata's mayor Thanassis Vasilopoulos said: "There has been no headway in the search and rescue operation and that worries us.
"We know that hundreds are missing."
Greece's civil protection minister Vangelis Tourlas said the aim was to conduct the search operation for as long as it takes.
He added: "The goal is to save what can be saved and to continue the operation despite the weather.
"We did what we had to do. According to international protocol if a vessel in international waters does not want help you cannot force it to accept assistance."
'REALLY HORRIFIC'
The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and Frontex about the approaching vessel on Tuesday.
It was spotted in international waters but passengers "refused any help and stated their desire to continue their voyage" to officials - before their boat sank just hours later.
None on board were wearing life jackets, the coastguard said.
Alarm Phone, which operates a trans-European network supporting rescue operations, said it had received distress class late on Tuesday night before they lost contact.
State broadcaster ERT said the majority of people on board were young men in their 20s.
A shipping ministry official - who spoke on condition of anonymity -said most were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan.
Erasmia Roumana, a member of the UNHCR refugee agency, told how survivors were "in a very bad psychological situation".
She added: "It's really horrific.
"Many are under shock, they are so overwhelmed.
"Many of them worry about the people they travelled with, families or friends. They want to call their families and tell them that they arrived."
Greece is a major route for migrants to get into Europe from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
But people smugglers are increasingly taking larger boats into international waters to try to avoid local coast guard patrols.
Tougher surveillance measures in Greece's migrant camps brought in by Kyriakos Mitsotakis' former government have also impacted this.
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According to the United Nations, around 72,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus so far this year, with the majority landing in Italy.
The worst migrant tragedy in Greece was in June 2016, when at least 320 people were listed as dead or missing in a sinking near Crete, according to AFP records going back to 1993.
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