Greek migrant boat tragedy reignites debate on EU's responsibility for migrant crisis.
The Greek coast guard and activists have differing accounts of what led up to one of the worst shipwrecks in recent Mediterranean history. The Greek coast guard said that the overcrowded trawler was moving steadily toward Italy, refusing almost all assistance, until minutes before it sank. But activists said that people on board were in danger and made repeated pleas for help more than 15 hours before the vessel sank. As many as 750 men, women, and children from Syria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories, and Pakistan were on board, fleeing hopelessness in their home countries and trying to reach relatives in Europe.