Nine survivors arrested following migrant ship sinking

Authorities in the port city of Kalamata have made nine arrests following the sinking of a fishing boat southwest of the Peloponnese that killed at least 78 migrants, a Shipping Ministry source has said.

All those arrested, who are said to be from Egypt, will face charges of forming a criminal organization and illegal migrant trafficking.

The news of the arrests comes as hopes of survivors dwindled and fears grew that hundreds more, including children, may have drowned inside the crowded vessel's hold.

The investigation into the circumstances and causes and for those responsible for the shipwreck are ongoing.

It also appears that the vessel set sail from Egypt, stopped in Libya and then set out for Italy.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the sinking remains at 78, Kalamata Mayor Thanassis Vasilopoulos said.

He noted that one of the deceased...