Dozens of people have been reported dead, and hundreds more are missing after a fishing boat carrying nearly 750 migrants capsized off of the coast of Greece last week. 104 people were rescued from the disaster, while at least 79 bodies were recovered from the sea.

The boat departed from the coastal city of Tobruk in Libya en route to Italy, carrying migrants from Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Palestine. It is part of a larger trend of migrant boats departing off of the eastern coast of Libya. According to Frontex, this year alone saw a 600% increase, and more than 50,300 crossings were recorded from January through May. Smugglers charged people $4,500 to $6,000 each for the voyage and packed the migrants like sardines in hazardous inadequate boats.

Retired Greek coast guard admiral Nikos Spanos told state-run ERT television, “We have seen old fishing boats like this before from Libya: They are about 30 metres (100 feet) long and can carry 600-700 people when crammed full. But they are not at all seaworthy. To put it simply, they are floating coffins.”

These conditions led to the boat’s demise as it capsized Wednesday around 2 am, about ‌80km (50 miles) southwest of Pylos, a city in southern Greece. Prior to the tragedy, Greek authorities were notified about the vessel’s presence Tuesday morning after receiving notification from a rescue operation hotline, Alarm Phone. After contacting the boat, authorities claimed that the passengers aboard did not want any assistance and insisted on continuing to Italy. Authorities believe the boat may have sunk after running out of fuel or suffering engine trouble and, combined with the movement of passengers, would have caused it to ultimately capsize.

However, accounts from survivors deviate from the claims made by authorities. Some survivors claim the boat capsized after the Greek coast guard tried pulling the stranded boat but “tied the ropes in the wrong places,” and the tugging caused the boat to capsize. Activists have also criticised Greece for not intervening sooner.

Greek authorities have since denied these accusations and claim ropes were used to stabilise their patrol boat while it stood nearby the migrant boat. It had flagged a merchant ship to bring the migrants aboard food and water and had to be persuaded to accept the supplies. Those rescued and taken ashore were treated for hypothermia, dehydration, and psychological trauma in the Greek city of Kalamata, with 27 still in hospital and the rest transferred to an immigration detention centre.  

Despite being criticised for its initial response, Greece arrested nine survivors in connection with human smuggling on suspicion of setting up a criminal organisation, manslaughter by negligence, exposure to danger, and causing a shipwreck. The country also declared three days of mourning, and politicians suspended campaigning for a general election on June 25th. 

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen responded to the tragedy by promising to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and nearby countries to further crackdown on migrant smugglers. However, non-governmental organisations such as Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, advise the E.U. to stop focusing solely on solutions for dismantling smuggling networks and also set up state-led search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

Since the height of the migrant crisis in 2014, the Mediterranean region has acted as a key route for migrants and refugees trying to escape political strife in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The U.N. migration agency had recorded more than 21,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean, with the deadliest tragedy happening in 2015 when a vessel went down off the coast of Libya en route to Italy, killing an estimated 1,100 people. 

With no end in sight, this trend is expected to continue as global inequality and climate change worsen, leaving people with no choice but to risk death in search of a better life.