Greece boat disaster: Trafficking suspects plead not guilty

Nine Egyptian men accused of causing a catastrophe past week erstwhile a vas carrying hundreds of radical sank disconnected the Greek seashore person pleaded not guilty.

The 9 suspects - each aged betwixt 20 and 40 - are accused of people-smuggling and different offences.

A lawyer for 1 of the men said his lawsuit was a passenger, not a smuggler.

At slightest 78 migrants are known to person died successful the catastrophe but galore much are feared to person drowned.

The UN's quality rights bureau says that up to 500 radical are inactive missing.

Analysis of the question of different ships successful the country suggests the overcrowded sportfishing vas was not moving for astatine slightest 7 hours earlier it capsized. But coastguard inactive claims that during these hours the vessel was connected a people to Italy and not successful request of rescue.

Greek officials support those connected committee said they did not privation assistance and were not successful information until conscionable earlier their vessel sank.

The 9 suspects each appeared astatine the Kalamata Court connected Monday to look charges of negligent manslaughter, exposing lives to danger, causing a shipwreck and quality trafficking.

Alexandros Dimaresis, a lawyer for 1 of the accused, said that his lawsuit was guiltless and "paid the smugglers to beryllium taken to Europe".

"He is not a smuggler himself. He was conscionable a passenger," Mr Dimaresis said extracurricular court.

The suspects volition beryllium backmost successful tribunal connected Tuesday, erstwhile it volition beryllium decided whether they volition stay successful jailhouse until the commencement of the trial.

Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities person arrested 14 radical successful transportation with the alleged trafficking of respective migrants who drowned successful the disaster.

The authorities successful Islamabad has ordered a high-level enquiry to analyse the quality trafficking web thought to beryllium involved, a connection from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's bureau said.

At slightest 21 of those who are missing came from the Kotli territory successful Pakistan's portion of the Himalayan Kashmir region, constabulary said. Two of the 12 Pakistanis who survived the sinking besides came from the aforesaid town.

Since the sportfishing vessel carrying up to 750 radical went down 50 nautical miles disconnected Pylos successful confederate Greece, the relation of the coastguard has travel nether expanding scrutiny.

The UN has called for an probe into Greece's handling of the disaster, amid claims much enactment should person been taken earlier to initiate a full-scale rescue attempt.