Migrants rescued after Pylos shipwreck housed at Kalamata port, some transferred to hospital

The transfer of migrants rescued from the fishing boat shipwreck off Pylos, in SW Greece, to the Kalamata hospital continues into Wednesday night, a local health official said.

Medical teams were also on standby for assistance, according to the district health governor Yiannis Karvelis speaking to Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA). “By late on (Wednesday) night, 30 migrants in all were transferred to the hospital in Kalamata, where they were admitted,” he said, facing various physical issues.

Karvelis also told ANA-MPA that migrants who were rescued at Pylos and transferred to Kalamata port, where they are temporarily housed, “there are medical units on call for immediate medical supervision of any emergencies that may arise, while the ambulances of the emergency service EKAV are also on standby there in case someone needs to be transported to hospital.”

A total of 104 individuals were rescued after a fishing boat capsized in international waters 47 nautical miles southwest of the Peloponnese coast and the town of Pylos. Authorities recovered 79 bodies. The fishing boat started off at Tobruk, Libya carrying an unspecified number of people, none of whom was apparently wearing a life vest.

Kalamata Mayor Thanassis Vassilopoulos told ANA-MPA that “the city has done whatever it can, in tandem with the regional unit of Messinia, the Red Cross, volunteers and others, to house the survivors, including providing clothes, mattresses and blankets, while water, portable toilets, showers, and tents have also been set up.”

He added, “Local residents have become aware [of the situation] and responded to a great degree, providing the necessary supplies to migrants; (…) the evening meal was provided by the local sports club.”

An extensive search and rescue operation was launched by the Coast Guard and the Hellenic Navy.

Political leaders including the Greek president travelled to Kalamata, and expressions of condolences were issued by party leaders, the UN secretary-general, and the president of the European Council, among others.

The Greek prime minister also declared a three-day mourning period that ends on midnight Friday, while political parties suspended their campaign events for the June 25 elections.