In Pictures

At least 78 dead after boat carrying refugees sinks off Greece

Overcrowded fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank off the coast of Greece, leaving at least 78 people dead.

A survivor of a shipwreck stands outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata — A survivor of a shipwreck outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata. [Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP]

A fishing boat crammed with migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off the coast of Greece on Wednesday.

At least 78 people have died and many are missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year.

The coastguard, navy and merchant vessels, and aircraft have fanned out for a vast search and rescue operation.

It remains unclear how many people were missing, but some initial reports suggested hundreds may have been on board when the boat went down far from shore.

Authorities said 104 people were rescued after the sinking in international waters about 75km (45 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula. The spot is close to the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea, and depths of up to 17,000 feet (5,200 metres) could hamper any effort to locate a sunken vessel.

At the port of Kalamata, about 70 exhausted survivors bedded down in sleeping bags and blankets provided by rescuers in a large warehouse, while paramedics set up tents.

The Italy-bound boat was believed to have left the Tobruk area in eastern Libya.

The route from North Africa to Italy through the central Mediterranean is the deadliest in the world, according to United Nations migration agency the International Organization for Migration, which has recorded more than 21,000 deaths and disappearances there since 2014.

scores of people covering practically every free stretch of deck on a battered fishing boat that later capsized and sank off southern Greece — An image provided by Greece's coastguard on June 14 shows people crammed on a battered fishing boat that later capsized and sank off southern Greece. [Handout: Hellenic Coast Guard via AP]

Men transfer body bags carrying migrants who died after their boat capsized — Men transfer body bags carrying people who died after their boat capsized in the open sea off Greece. [Stelios Misinas/Reuters]

An ambulance is seen outside a shelter where migrants were transferred — An ambulance outside a shelter where migrants were transferred, in Kalamata. [Stelios Misinas/Reuters]

Medical staffs carry a survivor on a stretcher outside a warehouse — Medical staff carry a survivor on a stretcher outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata. [Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP]

Paramedics carry an injured survivor of a shipwreck to an ambulance at the port in Kalamata town — Paramedics carry an injured survivor of the shipwreck to an ambulance. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AFP]

A migrant rests in a shelter, — A migrant rests in a shelter in Kalamata. [Stelios Misinas/Reuters]

epa10690194 Paramedics of the Greek National Emergency Ambulance Service (EKAV) and members of the Greek Red Cross helps migrants upon arrival to the Kalamata's port — Paramedics of the Greek National Emergency Ambulance Service and members of the Greek Red Cross help migrants upon arrival at Kalamata port. [Bougiotis Evangelos/EPA]

Survivors of a shipwreck sleep in a warehouse at the port in Kalamata — Survivors of the shipwreck sleep in a warehouse at the port in Kalamata. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AFP]