EU policy to blame for recurring migrant deaths at sea, says Varoufakis

MeRA25 leader Yanis Varoufakis expressed in a statement on Wednesday his abhorrence over EU policy because of the shipwreck off Pylos, which killed at least 79 people, and what he called "a hecatomb at sea."

Varoufakis also mentioned solidarity with the victims' relatives and added that these hecatombs began in the 1990s and are "an ongoing, unfolding tragedy."

"We must consider what our mistake is to see so many people drown. The sea did not drown them; they were drowned by the EU's policy of being a fortress, which treats people as objects of hatred," he added.

The transfer of migrants rescued from the fishing boat shipwreck off Pylos, in SW Greece, to the Kalamata hospital continues into Wednesday night, a local health official said.

Medical teams were also on standby for assistance, according to the district health governor Yiannis Karvelis speaking to AMNA. "By late on (Wednesday) night, 30 migrants in all were transferred to the hospital in Kalamata, where they were admitted," he said, facing various physical issues.

Karvelis said that migrants who were rescued at Pylos and transferred to Kalamata port, where they are temporarily housed, "there are medical units on call for immediate medical supervision of any emergencies that may arise, while the ambulances of the emergency service EKAV are also on standby there in case someone needs to be transported to hospital."

A total of 104 individuals were rescued after a fishing boat capsized in international waters 47 nautical miles southwest of the Peloponnese coast and the town of Pylos. Authorities recovered 79 bodies.

The fishing boat started off at Tobruk, Libya carrying an unspecified number of people, none of whom was apparently wearing a life vest.

Kalamata Mayor Thanassis Vassilopoulos said that "the city has done whatever it can, in tandem with the regional unit of Messinia, the Red Cross, volunteers and others, to house the survivors, including providing clothes, mattresses and blankets, while water, portable toilets, showers, and tents have also been set up."

He added, "Local residents have become aware [of the situation] and responded to a great degree, providing the necessary supplies to migrants; (...) the evening meal was provided by the local sports club."

An extensive search and rescue operation was launched by the Coast Guard and the Hellenic Navy.

Political leaders including the Greek president travelled to Kalamata, and expressions of condolences were issued by party leaders, the UN secretary-general, and the president of the European Council, among others.

The Greek prime minister also declared a three-day mourning period that ends on midnight Friday, while political parties suspended their campaign events for the June 25 elections.

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his grief over "the loss of so many innocent lives" in the shipwreck that occured at international waters southwest of the Peloponnese, he said in a statement on Wednesday.

The former prime minister also pointed out that this "new incident highlights most dramatically the fact that the migration issue remains a problem that requires a cohesive European policy," so that "the despicable criminal networks that are trafficking desperate people are finally dealt the decisive response they deserve."

Greece should stand by the survivors of the shipwreck tragedy off Pylos, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras commented in social media on Wednesday evening.

"As the minutes pass, the number of dead in the shipwreck southwest of Pylos increases. This is a human tragedy, which captures - in the saddest way possible - the despair of those seeking asylum in Europe," Tsipras said.

"The moment demands that we prioritize humanity, and stand by the survivors of the shipwreck, while intensifying every effort to locate those missing."

Tsipras also mentioned that he has already spoken with caretaker Prime Minister Ioannis Sarmas about the incident, and that a Syriza delegation is in Kalamata.

READ MORE: National mourning: What it means, what it is and how many times it has been declared in Greece.