Khaberni - Seventeen migrants died, and fifteen others remain missing following the sinking of a boat carrying 34 people near the Greek island of Crete, with only two survivors among the passengers.
The local authorities in Greece announced that the majority of the passengers were Sudanese and Egyptians.
According to the account of the only two survivors, the boat lacked blankets, food, and drinking water. The sea disturbance caused it to lose balance before sinking under harsh weather conditions that struck Crete and other areas of Greece over two days.
The Greek Broadcasting Corporation stated that "the bodies of the victims are being autopsied to determine the causes of death", suggesting that hypothermia or dehydration might be behind the death of several individuals on the boat.
The boat was first spotted in the afternoon of last Saturday by a Turkish cargo ship, prompting the intervention of two coastguard vessels and a third from the European agency "Frontex", in addition to a "Super Puma" helicopter, a European plane, and three passing ships that participated in the search and rescue operations.
Greek media quoted a local official saying that all the victims were young, and that the boat was air-depleted on both sides, forcing passengers to crowd into a cramped space.
The malfunction of the engine and storms with heavy rain during its journey that started last Wednesday from the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya led to its sinking approximately 26 nautical miles southwest of Crete.
According to the French news agency, an official from the coast guard's media office confirmed that the survivors reported that 10 people fell into the sea, while the rest of the bodies were found inside the boat which was leaking water.
The official mentioned that the search operations are still ongoing under the supervision of the coast guard.
