78 migrants dead after fishing vessel capsizes off Greece coast

Athens [Greece], June 14 : A total of 78 people were reported killed after a fishing boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized and sank on the southern coast of Greece, according to Al Jazeera.

The Greek coastguard said on Wednesday that the vessel sank in international waters, 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos, off the Peloponnese coast.

According to the publication, more are feared missing still.

The accident prompted an extensive rescue operation complicated by strong winds, the coastguard said in a statement, adding that about 100 people had been rescued.

Four of the survivors were hospitalised in the city of Kalamata with symptoms of hypothermia. Dozens of others were taken to sheltered areas in the city that were set up by the ambulance services and the United Nations Refugee Agency to receive dry clothes and medical attention.

None of those rescued had safety equipment such as life jackets, the coastguard said.

The exact number of passengers in the boat is unknown, reported Al Jazeera.