LONDON: A Syrian teenager, who survived after the boat carrying him sank in the Mediterranean, has been reunited with his brother.
The 18-year-old, called Mohammed, was pictured crying behind a metal fence at a temporary shelter in the Greek port of Kalamata on Friday, holding onto the arms of his brother, Fadi, who was on the other side.
At least 78 people are known to have died after the fishing boat sank around 50 miles from the Greek mainland, near the town of Pylos, on Wednesday.
A total of 104 people have been rescued, and witnesses claim that the vessel could have been carrying as many as 750.
Several relatives of those on board have gathered in Kalamata in the hope of finding them.
The 18-year-old, called Mohammed, was pictured crying behind a metal fence at a temporary shelter in the Greek port of Kalamata on Friday. (Screenshot/Sky News)
Fadi, who traveled from the Netherlands, told his brother: “Thank God for your safety.”
The boat, which originally traveled from Egypt to Libya, set sail from Tobruk with the migrants on board on June 10.
The EU border security agency Frontex and Greek officials became aware of it on Tuesday and shadowed the vessel for 15 hours. It repeatedly refused Greek help as its occupants said they wanted to go to Italy.
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the sinking. The reasons for the accident are not yet clear.
A spokesperson for the Greek coast guard, Nikos Alexiou, said survivors claimed women and children had been in the hold of the boat, and that the number of missing people could not be confirmed. Others said they had paid $4,500 each to be taken to Italy.
More than 20,000 people have died or gone missing trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014, according to UN figures.
