http://www.eveningsun.com/nation-world/ci_27973773/rescuers-survivors-recount-wreck-migrant-ship-greece
Rescuers, survivors recount wreck of migrant ship in Greece
By Derek Gatopoulos Associated Press
POSTED: 04/23/2015 01:25:15 PM EDT# COMMENTS
Click photo to enlarge
Eritrean shipwreck survivor Wegasi Nebiat, looks on after boarding a
ferry... (Yorgos Karahalis/AP)
RHODES, Greece (AP) — Locals know to avoid the razor-sharp rocks and
strong currents near Zefyros Beach on the Greek island of Rhodes. But
93 migrants fleeing war and political chaos on another continent had
no idea of the dangers as they caught their first glimpse of Europe
and the current pulled their rickety wooden boat toward shore.
Within minutes of crashing into the rocks next to a strip of hotels,
the migrants were in the sea and their 15-meter (45-foot) boat was
sinking. Some clung to pieces of wreckage as they waited for rescuers
to pull them to shore.
They described scenes of chaos as coast guard officers, army recruits,
volunteers, and fishermen scrambled to help.
In this Wednesday, April 22, 2015 photo, a girl pulls a cart as she
leaves a Greek Coast Guard office after being processed by the
authorities at the southeastern island of Rhodes Greece . Arrivals in
Greece have more than doubled this year to exceed 10,000 including
more than 1,000 in the past week alone—as scores of people arrive
daily on islands close to the Turkish coast. (AP Photo/Yorgos
Karahalis) (Yorgos Karahalis/AP)
"Everyone who saw what was happening just jumped in the water, without
thinking of their own safety," said Stathis Samaras, a coast guard
officer.
Most of the migrants survived, but a Syrian man and an Eritrean boy
and his mother drowned.
As European Union leaders met in Brussels on Thursday to consider
solutions to the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, dramatic photos
and video footage ensured that attention in Greece remained focused on
Monday's shipwreck in Rhodes, a cruise-ship destination.
One such image showed Eritrean Wegasi Nebiat being rescued by a
bare-chested army sergeant. She smiled and giggled from her hospital
bed Wednesday when shown the picture on front pages of newspapers from
around the world.
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Too weak to speak and using a respirator, Nebiat, who is from Eritrea,
was recovering from a fever caused by near drowning. By Thursday, she
was well enough to be released and board a ferry to Piraeus, near
Athens.
Though most migrants who come to Europe by sea make their way from
Libya to Italy's shores, arrivals in Greece have nearly doubled this
year to exceed 10,000 — including more than 1,000 in the past week
alone — showing up on islands close to the Turkish coast.
In this Wednesday, April 22, 2015 photo, migrants make their way to
accommodate themselves after being processed by the Greek Coast Guard
at the southeastern island of Rhodes. Arrivals in Greece have more
than doubled this year to exceed 10,000—including more than 1,000 in
the past week alone—as scores of people arrive daily on islands close
to the Turkish coast. From there, they register with Greek authorities
and then make their way by ferry to Athens, hoping to continue their
clandestine journey to wealthier EU members with better welfare
policies, including Germany or Britain. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
(Yorgos Karahalis/AP)
Among them was 24-year-old Eritrean Yohannes Haile, who lost
everything in the Rhodes shipwreck, including money he scraped
together working as an Internet technician on a journey that started
in 2010 and took him through Ethiopia, southern Sudan and Uganda on
the way to Turkey. He paid about $6,000 dollars to smugglers along the
way.
"I lost the last of the money I had in the sea — about 600 euros
($650)," Haile said after spending the night in a store room used by
the coast guard. "I want to go to somewhere in Europe. It doesn't
matter where."
In this Wednesday, April 22, 2015 photo, migrants leave a Greek Coast
Guard office after being processed by the authorities at the
southeastern island of Rhodes Greece. Arrivals in Greece have more
than doubled this year to exceed 10,000—including more than 1,000 in
the past week alone—as scores of people arrive daily on islands close
to the Turkish coast. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) (Yorgos
Karahalis/AP)
Migrants or asylum seekers who register with Greek authorities get
papers allowing them to remain in the country for between one and six
months. For asylum seekers, the six-month permit can be renewed. Most
make their way by ferry to Athens, hoping to continue their journeys
to wealthier EU members with better welfare policies, such as Germany,
Austria and Sweden.
Those like Mohammed Srou-Mallah, a 24-year-old accounting student from
Damascus, can stay in Greece if they want. Syrians get six-month
papers that can be automatically renewed as long as the conflict in
their country continues.
When the boat crashed, Srou-Mallah managed to hang on to his
smartphone, which was around his neck in a waterproof bag. Wrapped in
a blanket, he said he planned to catch a plane to Athens once he was
processed by authorities.
"I'm not going near the sea for some time," he said, smiling.
Witnesses say most of the migrants were below deck as the sailboat
approached the shore Monday morning after a five-hour journey in
choppy seas from the Turkish coastal town of Fetiye.
Two Syrian men accused of being at the helm have been arrested as
smuggling suspects, though they say they are not smugglers.
Authorities believe they did not realize they were in a treacherous
patch of water.
"The boat was crushed by the rocks," Srou-Mallah said. "Everyone tried
to swim but the waves were too high."
Received on Thu Apr 23 2015 - 14:15:41 EDT