ATHENS, Mar 28: Twenty-two migrants hoping to reach Europe from North Africa have died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat, survivors told the Greek coastguard Saturday.
The coastguard late Friday said 26 people, including a woman and a minor, were rescued by a European border agency vessel off the island of Crete.The coastguard later told AFP that 21 Bangladeshis, four South Sudanese and a Chadian citizen had emerged from the ordeal alive.
Survivors said the bodies of those who had died were thrown into the Mediterranean sea.
Two survivors were taken to hospital in Heraklion on Crete, the coastguard said.
Based on survivor statements, the coastguard said the boat had left Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21, bound for Greece, the gateway for many migrants hoping for asylum in the European Union.
"During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water," the coastguard stated.
The bodies of those who died "were thrown into the sea on the orders of one of the smugglers", it added.
The Greek authorities have arrested two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, believed to be the smugglers. �"AFP
