Greek court postpones hearing for smuggling suspects in deadly migrant boat
International - POSTED: 2023/06/18 23:10
International - POSTED: 2023/06/18 23:10
A court in southern Greece on Monday postponed a hearing for nine Egyptian men accused of being migrant smugglers in a case involving the sinking of a fishing trawler last week that killed at least 80 people and left hundreds more missing.
Estimates have put the number of people packed on the dilapidated fishing trawler at around 700-750.
A total of 104 people were rescued when the boat capsized and sank in international waters off the coast of Greece last Wednesday, while 78 bodies were recovered. A search and rescue operation continues, but the chances of finding more survivors are slim.
Another two bodies were found Monday in the area of the search, Greece’s coast guard said. It added that they were being taken to the southern port of Kalamata ahead of identification efforts.
The court in Kalamata postponed the Egyptians’ hearing until Tuesday to give them and their lawyers time to review the testimonies of nine Syrian and Pakistani survivors, given over the weekend.
The Egyptians, who were reportedly identified as members of a smuggling ring by some of the survivors, face charges of participating in a criminal organization, causing a shipwreck and endangering lives.
Relatives of the boat passengers gathered outside the courthouse, shouting the names of their loved ones, Greek media reported.