Helladic civilization

A Panamanian-flagged cargo ship brought 81 men, women and children safely to shore in Kalamata in the southwestern Peloponnese on Sunday, after the smuggling boat they were sailing in ran into trouble off the coast of Pylos, state broadcaster ERT reported on Tuesday.

Greek authorities processed the passengers of the vessel and have arrested four on charges of migrant smuggling. 

In the minds of most, Messinia is often associated with its famous coastal landscapes of the southern Peloponnese, washed either by the Messinian Gulf or the Ionian Sea—featuring resorts like Finikounda, Instagram-worthy beaches like Voidokilia, the stunning Venetian castle of Methoni, or cities like Kalamata and Pylos, which are growing in popularity as summer vacation destinations.

A cruise ship rescued 77 migrants found overnight in a sailboat in distress far off the southwestern coast of Greece and was transporting them to the nearest major port, Greek authorities said Tuesday.

Police in Kalamata clashed with protesters on Tuesday morning outside the southwestern Peloponnesian city's courthouse where nine Egyptian nationals are standing trial over the deadly migrant shipwreck off the coast of nearby Pylos in June 2023.

Nine Egyptian nationals will stand trial Tuesday at Kalamata Three-Member Court of Appeal for Felonies, accused of smuggling in connection with the fishing boat that sank off the Peloponnesian town of Pylos last June.

Three people, including a 15-year-old girl, died in less than 12 hours in two traffic accidents in different parts of the country.

The first deadly incident took place late on Monday night on the Methoni-Pylos road in the southwestern Peloponnese and involved a car, which was being driven by a 31-year-old man, crashing into the metal protection railing and a tree.

A sailing boat with more than 100 people on board has been identified 43 nautical miles southwest of Pylos on Friday.

Four nearby vessels and a Hellenic Air Force are moving towards the sailing boat, along with three Hellenic Coast Guard ships.

There are strong northern winds in the area.

The Hellenic Coast Guard conducted a rescue operation off the coast of Pylos on Friday, rescuing 49 people stranded on a freight ship. The freight ship, flying under a Belize flag, was located 109 nautical miles southwest of Pylos.

The Kalamata Coast Guard on Thursday announced the launch of an inquiry into the sinking of a boat carrying hundreds of migrants in international waters off the coast of the Peloponnese, 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos.

More than 80 individuals were rescued in the early hours of Wednesday in the sea area located 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos in the southwestern region of Peloponnese. The incident took place within international waters when a fishing vessel, carrying an unknown number of undocumented migrants, capsized.