According to a report by the French news agency AFP, Greek authorities have arrested nine individuals believed to be involved in human trafficking, responsible for the tragic shipwreck in the

Ionian Sea that claimed the lives of at least 79 people earlier this week. Among those arrested is the captain of the overcrowded fishing boat that capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece on Wednesday. Search and rescue operations continued in the area on Thursday, although hopes of finding additional survivors diminished.

AFP states that the ill-fated boat initially departed Egypt empty and proceeded to the Libyan port of Tobruk to pick up individuals before setting its course for Italy. The nine suspects were apprehended in Kalamata, the port where survivors were brought, on charges of "illegal human trafficking," as reported by the Greek news agency ANA. Several of the arrested individuals are Egyptian nationals.

Images released by the Greek coastguard service reveal the boat's decks packed with people, with estimates suggesting that up to 750 individuals were on board. Medical professionals who treated the predominantly male survivors informed the BBC that many women and children were confined below deck. A spokesperson for the Greek government mentioned that it is common for smugglers to lock people in the hold to exert control during the sea journey.

Prior to the tragedy, contact was established with those aboard the vessel 12 hours in advance through the Alarm Phone emergency helpline for distressed migrants at sea. Authorities, via satellite phone and nearby ships, offered assistance, providing food and water. However, further aid was declined.

Greece is currently observing three days of mourning and has suspended campaign activities leading up to the parliamentary election on June 25. Meanwhile, protests have erupted in Athens against national and European Union migration policies.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has labeled the incident "one of the most devastating tragedies in the Mediterranean in a decade." Gianluca Rocco, the IOM's chief of mission for Greece, called for "tangible, comprehensive action from nations to save lives at sea and to expand safe and regular migration pathways, reducing perilous journeys."

A day prior to the catastrophe, the IOM's Missing Migrants Project released a report indicating that nearly 3,800 people lost their lives on migration routes within and from the Middle East and North Africa in 2022, marking the highest number since 2017 when 4,255 deaths were recorded. The figure of 3,789 deaths in 2022 represented an 11 percent increase compared to the previous year.