Greek authorities stood by as the migrant ship that capsized — leaving hundreds dead — drifted off course for nearly 7 hours: NYT

• Hundreds of migrants are presumed dead after their ship capsized in the Ionian Sea on June 14.
• The Greek Coast Guard claimed the ship was not in need of immediate rescue.
• Tracking data shows that the boat was drifting off course for several hours, NYT reported.

The migrant ship that capsized somewhere off the coast of Greece last month, leaving hundreds dead, was drifting off course for nearly seven hours as the Greek Coast Guard stood by and held off a rescue operation, The New York Times reported.

Up to 750 migrants were believed to be on the Adriana, a fishing vessel, making the perilous journey from Tobruk, Libya, to Italy, according to United Nations. On June 14, five days after the Adriana set sail, the boat capsized with more than 600 passengers presumed dead.

104 people survived.

The Greek Coast Guard previously said it offered to rescue the boat when it was in international waters, but those offers were rejected, the Associated Press reported. The authorities also claimed the boat initially did not require rescue because it appeared to be on track to its destination.

But tracking data and satellite images reviewed by the Times show that the vessel was off course for about six and a half hours, moving in a circle away from its destination before it capsized on the early morning of June 14.

According to survivor testimonies, the Times reported that the ship was already experiencing many issues two days after its journey began on June 9.

Survivors said the engine failed as early as the second day of the voyage; food and water had depleted on the third day; and at least six people died inside the ship by the fourth, according to the Times, which interviewed some of the surviving passengers.

On June 13, migrants convinced the captain, a 22-year-old Egyptian man, to send a distress call to Italian officials. That afternoon, around 1 p.m., the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, alerted Italian authorities about the vessel. But the call did not trigger an immediate rescue operation. 

According to sealed court documents and footage reviewed by the Times, about seven hours after Frontex first spotted the vessel, Greek authorities called two commercial ships nearby to bring food, water, and diesel to the migrant boat so that it could continue its journey.

However, around 7:40 p.m. on June 13, the boat stopped moving toward its destination and began moving in a circle for about six and a half hours before it capsized around 2 a.m. the following day.

BBC also previously reported that the boat appeared to be stalled for several hours before the ship's tragic fate, challenging Greek officials' claims that the boat appeared to be heading toward its destination.

The Greek Coast Guard has also said that offers to help the vessel were rejected. According to the Times, the 22-year-old captain said he wanted to continue the journey, despite desperate pleas for help from the passengers. The Times noted that smuggling captains are often not paid until the destination is reached.

Nine crew members who survived the accident were arrested and charged with causing the sinking and smuggling migrants.

The cause of the ship's demise is still under investigation.