Since the announcement of the deadly June 14 shipwreck off the Greek island of Pylos, hundreds of families have found themselves stuck in a state of anguish, desperately looking for information about their relatives aboard.

The victims were reportedly from Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Some families haven taken to scrutinizing photos of survivors published in media and on social networks, while others have traveled to Kalamata, a port city in southern Greece where the survivors have been transferred, to try and locate their relatives.

‘All I want is to know he’s safe and sound’

In Syria, Maamoun Ismail Al Haraki’s sister Iman is one of the Family members stuck waiting. In a trembling voice, interrupted by her crying children, the young woman told InfoMigrants that her 34-year-old brother is the father of two children.

He left Deraa a year ago to find refuge in Lebanon. Due to particularly difficult living conditions, he left Lebanon to go to Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, then took a direct flight to Libya.

“He was the victim of a scam there, and he was imprisoned for two months before being released recently,” Iman said.

After his release, he traveled to the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk, where he boarded the Italy-bound boat that sank on Tuesday.

Al Haraki paid between 5,000 and 6,000 euros to board the old fishing boat. On Thursday (June 8), the day before departure, Al Haraki called his family to tell them about his journey to Italy. He sent them a picture of himself wearing a life jacket.

“He is the first member of the family to go to Europe, and look what happened to him … All I want is to know that he is safe and sound,” said Iman, still in shock.

Since the tragedy, Al Haraki’s family has been scrutinizing all the photos of survivors published on the Internet. Iman thought she recognized her brother in one of them. But the language barrier prevents the family from contacting Greek authorities to ask for information, they told InfoMigrants.

Five other Syrians from Al Haraki’s neighborhood were also aboard the fishing boat.

‘No word can describe our pain’

Shahin Shekh Ali is also desperately seeking news about his relatives. He is from Kobané, in northern Syria, and currently lives in Germany. Five members of his family were aboard the boat. Despite posting pleas for help on Twitter, he could not get any specific information and does not know if his family members are among the survivors.

His cousin Ali, who was aboard the shipwrecked vessel, had been in Libya for about a month, Shahin Shekh Ali told InfoMigrants. The young man left Syria to go to Lebanon, then traveled to Cairo by plane. From there, he made his way to eastern Libya, where he paid around 6,000 euros to cross the sea to Italy.

Shahin is heartbroken: “They contacted us five days ago, then no news. It’s tragic, I’m in a state of shock. We try to keep hope, but no words can describe our pain, that of losing five members of our family in a single accident.”

“We are not sure if he can swim”

Wassim, another Syrian searching for a relative, also shared his story with InfoMigrants: “My cousin Moataz Ghassan Shawk called us on Friday to tell us that he was going to board a fishing boat from Libya. We have not heard from him since… We’re scared because we’re not sure he can swim.”

Moataz, 24, had traveled to Libya two months earlier, planning to cross the sea to Italy.

‘Our relatives and friends immediately flew to look for them’

In Jordan, the family of young Syrian refugee Ahmad hoped for good news. His cousin Mohammed identified him in photos of survivors posted on social media. Originally from Deraa, in southern Syria, 32-year-old Ahmad arrived in Libya two months ago.

But his two cousins, Rizik, 32, and Husam, 36, are still missing. “My tears won’t stop falling,” their worried mother told InfoMigrants.

“Our relatives and friends in Europe immediately flew to Greece to look for them,” Mohammed said. They arrived at midday on Thursday, June 15, and set out in search of their loved ones.

The rescue operation is still in progress

Lists of missing persons are being published on social media networks. This is how some Syrians discovered via Facebook that someone close to them was on board.

The search for missing persons is ongoing.

The Greek Red Cross has set up an emergency contact for those who are looking for their loved ones:

By phone on +210 52 30 043 or +210 21 40 440

By email to [email protected]