Greece shipwreck: up to 100 children were below deck, survivors say

Women also said to have been in the hold, amid fears 78 so far confirmed dead could rise into the hundreds

Survivors of one of the worst disasters in the Mediterranean in recent years, where an overcrowded fishing boat capsized and sank off the Greek coast, have revealed that women and children were travelling in the hold of the vessel.

The death toll currently stands at 78, but authorities fear that the number of victims could rise to hundreds.

Authorities have arrested nine suspected people-smugglers, all of whom are men of Egyptian descent and are believed to have piloted the boat.

They are being held in custody and are likely to face charges including mass murder. The survivors, who are mostly men aged between 16 and 40 from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt, are in a very bad psychological state, according to Erasmia Roumana from the UN's refugee agency.

Around 30 survivors have been treated in hospital for pneumonia and exhaustion.