The latest catastrophic shipwreck that occurred off the coast of Greece on June 14th, claiming nearly 500 lives, prompted severe criticism of the European Union’s (EU) migration policies by Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
The medical humanitarian organisation is demanding transparency and accountability for the tragic loss of life and urgently calling for the establishment of a systematic, state-led search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean.
Duccio Staderini, MSF’s Regional Director for Greece and the Balkans, said, “the inexcusable lack of political commitment to ensuring sufficient rescue infrastructure has led to the deadliest sea disaster in the Mediterranean since 2015.”
The disaster has deeply affected MSF teams in Greece’s Malakasa registration centre, where they are providing survivors with essential medical and psychological assistance. They are voicing their profound sorrow and indignation over the avoidable loss of life.
Staderini asked, “how frequently must we witness such tragedies?” He linked the vast loss of life directly to the EU’s hardline migration policies which force desperate people onto lethal routes. Staderini said, “these policies are not providing safe passage to refugees. Instead, they’re leading to their deaths.”
MSF personnel in Malakasa have given medical treatment to 87 survivors suffering from sun and seawater exposure, burns, and hypoglycaemic shock due to starvation.
Survivors are not only grappling with physical pain but also the emotional trauma of coming face to face with death, the uncertainty over the fate of their relatives and friends, and the aftermath of their distressing experiences in Libya.
Elise Loyens, MSF’s Medical Coordinator, shared, “the survivors recounted to our teams how they pleaded for help, waited for rescue for hours, and watched helplessly as their friends drowned. They also shared the brutalities they endured in Libya: torture, beatings, and being held captive in the desert for weeks without food or water.”
According to the survivors, roughly 300 passengers on board were from Pakistan, with only 12 known survivors. The boat’s lower deck carried many women and children, with only eight children found alive so far.
One survivor gave a haunting account of the shipwreck, saying, “I hadn’t had water for two days, but my tears kept me from feeling thirsty. When the boat turned over, I held onto a metal railing for dear life.”
The survivors now face a challenging journey towards recovery, dealing with their psychological trauma, and the stress of communicating with frantic families trying to find out what happened to their loved ones.
While the June 14th shipwreck was the most lethal in recent Mediterranean history, MSF’s teams in Greece regularly provide life-saving medical aid to survivors of treacherous sea crossings.
MSF has issued a strong call to the EU and its member states, including Greece, to:
Conduct a transparent, independent probe to investigate this tragic incident and other similar maritime disasters around Europe’s coasts.
Reevaluate their migration policies, prioritizing the preservation of human life. The recent catastrophic event must provoke a rethink of the EU’s handling of migration issues in the past years. For too long, EU policies have resulted in death and suffering rather than ensuring rescue and protection.