Harrowing rescue at sea recounted
RHODES, Greece — Locals know to avoid the razor- sharp rocks and strong currents near Zefyros Beach on the Greek island of Rhodes. But 93 migrants fleeing war and political chaos on another continent had no idea of the dangers as they caught their first glimpse of Europe and the current pulled their rickety wooden boat toward shore.
Within minutes of crashing into the rocks next to a strip of hotels, the migrants were in the sea and their 45- foot boat was sinking. Some clung to pieces of wreckage as they waited for rescuers to pull them to shore.
They described scenes of chaos as coast guard officers, army recruits, volunteers and fishermen scrambled to help.
“Everyone who saw what was happening just jumped in the water, without thinking of their own safety,” said Stathis Samaras, a coast guard officer.
Most of the migrants survived, but a Syrian man and an Eritrean boy and his mother drowned.
As European Union leaders met in Brussels on Thursday to consider solutions to the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, dramatic photos and video footage ensured that attention in Greece remained focused on Monday’s shipwreck in Rhodes, a cruise- ship destination.
One such image showed Eritrean Wegasi Nebiat being rescued by a bare- chested army sergeant. She smiled and giggled from her hospital bed Wednesday when shown the picture on front pages of newspapers from around the world.
Too weak to speak and using a respirator, Nebiat was recovering from a fever caused by near drowning. By Thursday, she was well enough to be released and board a ferry to Piraeus, near Athens.
Though most migrants who come to Europe by sea make their way from Libya to Italy’s shores, arrivals in Greece have nearly doubled this year to exceed 10,000 — including more than 1,000 in the past week alone — showing up on islands close to the Turkish coast.
Migrants or asylum seekers who register with Greek authorities get papers allowing them to remain in the country for between one and six months.