Kurdish refugees drifting in a boat in Ionian Sea
Kurdish refugees have been drifting in a damaged boat on Friday without access to food and water and risk capsizing any moment, a relative of the refugees told +Gercek News.
About 85 political refugees, mostly from Iran and Iraq, headed to Italy seeking political asylum but began dragging in the windy Ionian Sea when their boat stopped working, the relative said, adding that his cousin who was sentenced to 98 years in prison in Turkey was also on board.
????BREAKING: +GercekNews reached a boat packed with #Kurdish refugees blocked by Greek coast guard in #Greek waters in #Ionian Sea. The boat is damaged and dragged dangerously in the sea risking to capsize any moment. pic.twitter.com/BJoh1fvETi
— GercekNews (@newsgercek) August 26, 2022
The relative said the refugees had to call the Greek coast guard. A ship arrived, but refused to help them, leaving the refugees sailing aimlessly in the boat. The refugees included women and children who had no access to water or food for the last two days, he said.
Even though the relative mentioned many NGOs, he could not get an immediate reaction.