Three Bangladeshis fleeing Libya drown off Greek island of Crete
March 6th, 2011 - 10:41 pm ICT by BNO NewsCRETE, GREECE (BNO NEWS) — At least three Bangladeshi evacuees from conflict-ridden Libya drowned on Sunday after jumping from a Greek ferry as it was docking at Souda in the southern Greek island of Crete, officials said.
Coast guard officials said that a total 46 evacuees used a rope to descend from the passenger ship “Ionion King” with 1,288 evacuees, which had already moored, because they feared that they would be sent back to their home country if their papers were checked by Greek authorities, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.
The officials added that 16 people were reported missing, while 22 people are receiving hospital treatment. The victims were from Bangladesh.
Greece has been very active in helping people leave Libya over the last couple of weeks, including more than 10,000 Chinese workers. It is thought that Greek ferry companies will earn about 20 million euros from their participation in the evacuation operation, according to the newspaper.
Libya has been plunged into chaos as massive anti-government protests continue nationwide, resulting in a violent crackdown by security forces which included aerial bombardments on protesters. Up to 2,000 people are believed to have been killed in the uprising, but confirmed information has been difficult to obtain due to reporting restrictions by Libyan authorities.
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- Thousands of Bangladeshis stranded in Libya - Mar 02, 2011
- Libyan minister resigns over crackdown on protesters - Feb 21, 2011
- India sends ship to Libya to evacuate 1,200 Indians - Feb 24, 2011
- 12 killed in Libya blasts - Mar 05, 2011
- Obama quietly calls on Libya's Gaddafi to step down - Feb 27, 2011
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- Arab world simmers; Gaddafi's son warns of rivers of blood (Intro Roundup) - Feb 21, 2011
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Tags: bno, chinese workers, coast guard officials, crete greece, evacuees, ferry companies, greek authorities, greek ferry, greek island, island of crete, kathimerini newspaper, libya, libyan authorities, passenger ship, protesters, receiving hospital, security forces, souda, uprising, violent crackdown