Only Men Survive, No Women or Children... What Happened to the Sinking Refugee Boat?

Over 600 Dead in Refugee Boat Capsize Bound for Europe
"Testimonies of Discrimination Based on Race, Gender, and Age"
Women and Children Virtually Confined Under the Hull

On the 13th (local time), a refugee boat heading to Europe capsized off the coast of southern Peloponnese, Greece, resulting in the deaths of over 600 people. Survivors have testified that there was severe discrimination based on race, gender, and age inside the vessel.

According to the British media outlet The Guardian on the 18th, survivors of the capsizing told the Greek Coast Guard that "when the boat overturned, people from Pakistan were pushed to the lower deck below the deck, where survival chances were much lower." They also added that the crew members on the boat particularly abused Pakistani nationals.

In fact, most of the Pakistani nationals on board the boat have either died or gone missing. Approximately 750 people were on board, of whom around 400 were from Pakistan.

Among the total 104 survivors, only 12 were Pakistani nationals. More than 390 Pakistani passengers have all either died or are missing.

Refugees on a refugee boat crossing the Mediterranean Sea heading to Greece. [Image source=Greek Coast Guard]

In this regard, Pakistani local media also reported that "at least 298 citizens died in this accident, of whom 135 were from the conflict zone of Kashmir."

The Pakistani government declared the 19th as a national day of mourning. Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, stated that those who acted as refugee brokers would be severely punished.

Survivors also testified that there was extreme discrimination inside the ship based on gender and age. It was reported that men, claiming to protect women and children in the overcrowded refugee boat, effectively confined them in the cargo hold at the bottom of the boat.

Currently, it is known that there are no women or children among the confirmed survivors. It is presumed that all perished as water filled the hull from the bottom when the boat capsized.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 70,000 people have attempted to enter Europe this year by crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa to Greece, Italy, Spain, and other countries.

This accident is expected to be recorded as the worst shipwreck in the Mediterranean since the 2015 Libya refugee boat sinking, which resulted in about 1,100 deaths.