Why campaigners say Europe has given up on saving lives in the Mediterranean

Another disaster has raised questions about the EU’s approach to those risking their lives on the deadliest migrant crossing in the world. Katy Fallon reports

A photograph captured by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) shows a boat carrying hundreds of migrants shortly before it sank (Hellenic Coast Guard/Reuters)

In the early hours of 14 June, an overcrowded fishing boat carrying upwards of 700 migrants sank off western Greece. Those on board had paid smugglers thousands of dollars to travel from Libya to Italy – a well-established route often cited as the deadliest migrant crossing in the world.

Of those on board, 104 survived and more than 80 have been confirmed dead; hundreds remain unaccounted for. There were emotional scenes in Kalamata as relatives arrived looking for loved ones who had boarded the doomed boat in search of a better life in Europe.

Greece says it is investigating the circumstances of the shipwreck while survivors wait for their asylum to be processed, but it emerged that a drone from EU border agency Frontex – which receives hundreds of millions of euros from the European Commission each year – flew over and photographed the boat before it sank. Frontex said it notified Greek authorities of the boat and offered further assistance but received no reply.