Greek Shipwreck Tragedy: How to Help

On June 14, a fishing boat overloaded with as many as 750 Pakistani, Syrian, Egyptian, and Palestinian refugees and migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.

Nearly two weeks later, in what the EU commissioner for home affairs is calling “the worst-ever tragedy” to take place in the Mediterranean Sea, hundreds are still missing. Only 104 have been rescued alive, and at least 82 bodies have been recovered, per authorities.

Currently, officials are collecting DNA samples from people whose relatives were on the vessel to help in the identification of the bodies.

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The migrants—many of whom were seeking jobs and better lives in Europe—paid smugglers thousands for the dangerous voyage. Pakistan’s government has launched a crackdown on the human traffickers thought to be responsible, and so far, police have arrested at least 17 people in connection with the case, per ABC News. Also, nine Egyptian men suspected of crewing the ship are in pretrial custody in Greece and awaiting charges, potentially including participating in a criminal organization, manslaughter, and causing a shipwreck.

Meanwhile, the Greek coast guard has been widely criticized for not doing enough to save the migrants as the boat sank.

Below, see what you can do to help the survivors and fallen victims’ families.

Donate to the IRC

The International Rescue Committee provides lifesaving medical services, funds, and other essential supplies and support to countries affected by devastating human crises, including Greece, Niger, Libya, and Italy. Donate here.

Donate to the UN Refugee Agency

The organization responds “whenever and wherever violence erupts or disaster strikes” by helping refugees rebuild their lives. Among many things, it provides cash assistance, household essentials, and education. Donate here.

Donate to the IOM

The International Organization for Migration is the leading United Nations agency working on migration. It protects and assists people displaced or stranded by crisis, and supports recovery efforts for populations and their communities. “We work to mitigate adverse drivers that force people from their homes, help build resilience and focus on reducing disaster risk so that movement and migration can be a choice,” the group’s site states. Donate here.

Donate to Amnesty International

The nonprofit aims to help end human-rights abuses of asylum seekers, refugees, peaceful protesters, and people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing crises. Donate here.

Raise awareness

Seeking asylum is a human right, but it’s important to raise awareness of the dangers that asylum seekers face when attempting to seek a better life, including deadly conditions on their journeys, scams and abuse from traffickers, and lack of governmental regulations around the issue.

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Rosa Sanchez

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.