Survivors of Greece boat disaster say coastguard rope toppled boat

FILE PHOTO: Body bags carrying migrants who died after their boat capsized in the open sea off Greece, are seen onboard a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel at the port of Kalamata, Greece, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas/File Photo

MALAKASA/KALAMATA, Greece (Reuters) - Survivors of a boat disaster that likely killed hundreds of migrants near Greece have given accounts of traffickers in North Africa cramming them into a clapped-out fishing trawler. They recounted hellish conditions above and below deck, with no food or water.

Some also said the tragic end, when it came, was precipitated by the actions of the Greek coastguard. They have told judicial authorities of a doomed attempt to tow the overloaded trawler that caused the vessel to capsize in the early hours of June 14.