The horrifying news of the loss of life in a sunken migrant vessel in Greece stunned the world and drew fire from critics for the Greek Coast Guard’s disaster response, demonstrating the need for swift action and clear communications and messaging.
According to The BBC, “the UN has called for an investigation into Greece’s handling of the disaster, amid claims more action should have been taken earlier to initiate a full-scale rescue attempt”. The BBC’s reporting also used tracking data from maritime analytics platform MarineTraffic that contradicted the Coast Guard’s claim about the ship’s movements before it sank.
The rescue operation faced challenging conditions, including “rough seas, with near gale-force winds, and in some of the Mediterranean Sea’s deepest waters. at over 5,000 meters (3 miles),” according to The Associated Press.
Statements from officials have appeared to contradict each other, reported CNN: “The coast guard this week said it had repeatedly asked the boat if it needed assistance and were told it did not. Authorities also previously said they could not intervene with the boat without being asked for assistance, as the boat was in international waters.” A timeline from AlJazeera also reports on the timeline of the vessel’s sinking, along with information from Alarm Phone, a self-organized hotline for refugees in distress in the Mediterranean Sea to support rescue efforts.
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65942426
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/16/timeline-how-the-refugee-boat-tragedy-unfolded-off-greece
