79 dead, 104 rescued after boat carrying migrants capsizes near Greece

The fishing vessel capsized and sank early Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea.

ByKevin Shalvey and Daphne Tolis
June 14, 2023, 11:25 AM

LONDON and ATHENS -- Rescue efforts were underway Wednesday after a fishing vessel carrying migrants capsized and sank in the Mediterranean Sea, about 54 miles off the coast of Pylos, Greece.

At least 104 people have been rescued and 79 have died, the Greek Coast Guard said. Unconfirmed early estimates put hundreds of migrants -- perhaps as many as 650 -- on board when the boat began to sink at about 2:30 a.m. local time.

PHOTO: Migrants arrive at the port of Kalamata, following a rescue operation, after their boat capsized at open sea, in Kalamata, Greece, June 14, 2023.
Migrants arrive at the port of Kalamata, following a rescue operation, after their boat capsized at open sea, in Kalamata, Greece, June 14, 2023.
Eurokinissi via Reuters

None of the rescued was wearing a life jacket, the coast guard said.

The Greek Coast Guard was in charge of the rescue operation, which included six Coast Guard vessels, a Greek Navy frigate, a military transport plane, an Air Force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from the European Union border protection agency.

PHOTO: Survivors receive first aid after a rescue operation at the port in Kalamata town, in Greece, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
Survivors receive first aid after a rescue operation at the port in Kalamata town, in Greece, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
AP

Survivors are being brought to a hospital on Kalamata, a city in southern Greece, officials said. Mayan Queen IV, a 300-foot yacht, picked up some survivors.

The Coast Guard had contacted the vessel midday on Tuesday as it traveled through international waters, according to a statement released Wednesday afternoon.

PHOTO: Survivors of a shipwreck sit in a warehouse, at the port in Kalamata town, southwest of Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
Survivors of a shipwreck sit in a warehouse, at the port in Kalamata town, southwest of Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
AP

A ship approached the fishing boat with supplies later on Tuesday, but passengers refused further help, saying they wanted to continue on their path toward Italy, the Coast Guard said.

The number of illegal border crossings detected in the Central Mediterranean nearly quadrupled in the first four months of the year from the same year-earlier period, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, said last month.

PHOTO: A medic escorts a survivor, after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank in international waters in the Ionian Sea, at the port in Kalamata town, on June 14, 2023.
A medic escorts a survivor, after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank in international waters in the Ionian Sea, at the port in Kalamata town, on June 14, 2023.
Eurokinissi/AFP via Getty Images

More than 42,200 such crossings were recorded from January through April, Frontex said. That amounted to the highest level recorded since Frontex began collecting data in 2009, the agency said.

"Organised crime groups are taking advantage of political volatility in some departure countries to increase the number of migrants they smuggle across EU borders," Frontex said in a statement in May.

PHOTO: Paramedics of the Greek National Emergency Ambulance Service (EKAV) and members of the Greek Red Cross helps migrants upon arrival to the Kalamata's port, Greece, June 14 2023.
Paramedics of the Greek National Emergency Ambulance Service (EKAV) and members of the Greek Red Cross helps migrants upon arrival to the Kalamata's port, Greece, June 14 2023.
Bougiotis Evangelos/EPA via Shutterstock

Wednesday's capsizing was another "tragedy in the Aegean," the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said on Twitter.

The group called for comprehensive action including more pathways for legal migration.

ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.