(AFP) Survivors of the most deadly migrant shipwreck in years have described the horrifying moment traffickers capsized their boat and left them to drown, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.
"After they hit our boat they waited to make sure that it had sunk completely before leaving. They were laughing," one survivor told IOM.
Fresh witness testimony confirmed around 500 people drowned after their boat sank off Malta on Wednesday, including up to 100 children who had been making the treacherous journey from Egypt to Italy, according to the Geneva-based organisation.
So who were those traffickers?
The Palestinians, aged 27 and 33, told IOM their boat had been intentionally sunk by the people smugglers after the migrants refused to change to a smaller, less seaworthy vessel -- a story corroborated by the survivors in Crete.
"A violent argument ensued. The 10 smugglers, said to be Palestinian and Egyptian, began yelling," the IOM said, citing the latest testimony from Greece.
The enraged traffickers "rammed" the boat which "began to sink immediately, while the smugglers stayed in the area until they were certain that the migrant's vessel had sunk," it said.
Those who had managed to jump to safety into the smaller boat were "forced into the water" by their assailants.
Gee, who would've thought that Palestinians are such cold blooded, heartless murderers?
