The fishing boat, which was overcrowded and had departed from Libya, was initially detected on the morning of 13 June in international waters as it headed towards Greece.
Frontex, the EU’s border agency, spotted the boat using one of its planes but had to refuel before taking further action. Frontex claims to have offered to send the plane back to monitor the situation, but the Greek coast guard did not respond to the offer.
The Greek authorities have denied allegations of delayed response to the unfolding tragedy, stating that the individuals onboard had expressed their desire to be left alone so they could travel to Italy. However, TDTOP analysis of ship movements on the day of the incident strongly suggests that the vessel remained stationary for at least seven hours before capsizing, contradicting the official account.
The Greek coast guard has not provided any comment regarding the recent claim that they did not respond to Frontex’s offer of additional aerial assistance.
The devastating boat disaster off the coast of Greece resulted in the loss of 78 lives, with hundreds still missing. The incident occurred approximately 80km (50 miles) southwest of the town of Pylos after 02:04 on 14 June, according to officials.
Although over 100 people were rescued, survivors estimate that the boat carried as many as 750 individuals, including approximately 100 children in the hold.
The Pakistani interior minister, Rana Sanaullah, reported that at least 350 Pakistanis were among those onboard, emphasizing that this incident possibly represents one of the highest death tolls in any previous event, even surpassing terrorist incidents.
The victims also include Egyptians and Syrians, among others who are feared to have perished.
Nine Egyptian men appeared in court in the Greek city of Kalamata on Monday, facing charges of negligent manslaughter, endangering lives, causing a shipwreck, and human trafficking.