t least 79 individuals have died and a whole bunch feared lacking after a fishing boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of southern Greece, authorities have stated.

As a painstaking seek for survivors continued, a European rescue help charity stated it believed round 750 individuals have been on board the 20- to 30-metre-long (65-100 foot) vessel, whereas the UN.'s migration company cited an estimate of as much as 400.

Greek authorities stated it was too quickly to invest on the full quantity, however the incident is one among Europe’s deadliest transport disasters.

Greece is among the predominant routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Most cross over to Greek islands from close by Turkey.

But because the earlier conservative authorities of Kyriakos Mitsotakis launched harder surveillance on the nation's migrant camps, rising numbers have chosen to make an extended, extra harmful journey from Turkey to Italy by way of Greece.

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Greek state broadcaster ERT stated the boat that sank was en route for Italy, having set sail from the Libyan city of Tobruk, which lies south of the island of Crete. Greek authorities didn't verify the vessel's departure port.

Alarm Phone, which operates a trans-European community supporting rescue operations, stated it acquired alerts from individuals on board a ship in misery off Greece late on Tuesday, however subsequently misplaced contact.

"According to the people, there were 750 people on board... We now hear reports of a shipwreck and fear they are true," it stated on Twitter.

Greek authorities stated it remained unclear what number of the vessel was carrying when it went beneath, and that 104 individuals had been rescued by noon.

"It is not safe to give a number. We do not know how many people were in the hold," Greek coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou advised Greece's MEGA TV. "...There were too many people on the outer deck. It was full."

Late on Tuesday, just a few hours earlier than the boat capsized, the boat's occupants refused a suggestion of assist, insisting on persevering with their journey, the coast guard stated.

The shipwreck is the deadliest off Greece this 12 months, and among the many worst in Europe. In February, 96 individuals died when their picket boat smashed into rocks on Italy's Calabrian coast throughout a storm.

The Greek migration ministry blamed worldwide smuggling networks for placing migrants' lives in danger, whereas Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, referred to as on governments to work collectively on creating secure pathways for individuals fleeing poverty and warfare.

The Greek coast guard stated the ill-fated boat was first noticed late on Tuesday by EU border company Frontex in worldwide waters round 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the southern Greek coastal city of Pylos.

Italian authorities then alerted Greece to the vessel's presence, and the Greek coast guard approached it and provided assist. But migrants packed on its outer deck "refused assistance and stated their desire to continue their voyage", in accordance with the coast guard.

A couple of hours later, the vessel started veering backward and forward earlier than capsizing round 2 a.m. on Wednesday after which sinking, a authorities official stated.

ERT TV stated most of these on board have been younger males of their 20s. A transport ministry official who spoke on situation of anonymity stated most have been from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan.

Survivors have been taken to the southwestern Greek coastal city of Kalamata and have been anticipated to be moved to a camp exterior Athens, the migration ministry stated.

Covered in blankets, exhausted survivors rested on mattresses at a warehouse shelter arrange in Kalamata port.

Libya, which has had little stability or safety since a NATO-backed rebellion in 2011, is a serious launching level for individuals looking for to achieve Europe by sea. People-smuggling networks are primarily run by army factions that management coastal areas.

In current days, safety forces in Libya have cracked down on migrants with detentions and deportations. It was not clear whether or not the ship that sank on Wednesday departed Libya earlier than or after the crackdowns.

Greece was on the entrance line of Europe's migration disaster of 2015-16, when practically 1 million individuals arrived on its islands from Turkey earlier than heading north to wealthier European states.

Numbers have fallen dramatically since a 2016 EU-Turkey deal to stem the flows. Mitsotakis' authorities has stated its harder stance had helped hold arrivals low.

Greece is presently led by a caretaker administration forward of a nationwide election on June 25 that the conservatives are anticipated to win.

About 72,000 refugees and migrants have arrived thus far this 12 months in Europe's front-line Mediterranean international locations, in accordance with United Nations information, with the bulk touchdown in Italy and round 6,500 in Greece.