Athens [Greece], June 20: Nine Egyptian nationals arrested on suspicion of being people smugglers after the migrant boat disaster off Greece that claimed hundreds of lives will first have to appear in court on Tuesday.
They were initially scheduled for a court session on Monday, but a judge in the port city of Kalamata granted a defence request to postpone the hearing for 24 hours so they could have more time to read survivors' testimony, Greek state television reported.
Then men, aged between 20 and 40 and who survived the catastrophe, were taken into custody shortly after the overloaded fishing vessel carrying refugees and migrants sank last Wednesday, in one of the worst tragedies in the Mediterranean in years.
The men face charges of human trafficking, negligent homicide and forming a criminal organization.They are said to belong to a large smuggling ring that organized up to 18 such dangerous journeys from Africa to Italy in recent months.
The Greek authorities have requested the assistance of the European police authority Europol in an investigation that could span several countries. The arrests were made based on interviews and statements from other survivors.
The 30-metre vessel capsized in international waters south-west of Greece last Wednesday with up to 700 migrants on board.
Source: Qatar Tribune