ATHENS
\nA right-wing Greek parliamentarian was expelled from the party of former prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, seeking a second term at polls next weekend, for racist remarks after the mass drowning of migrants.
\nThe Greek coastguard was continuing its search for survivors of the sinking of a boat carrying migrants that killed at least 78 people overnight Tuesday.
\nHopes of finding survivors are fading \u201cby the minute,\u201d according to officials.
\nThe coastguard has so far rescued 104 people from the boat which rescuers said was carrying \u201chundreds\u201d of migrants.
\nWhile condemning the \u201ctragic\u201d loss of life, including \u201cchildren\u201d, Spilios Kriketos, a lawmaker in Mitsotakis\u2019 New Democracy (ND) party, said Thursday that Greece \u201ccannot tolerate more migrants\u201d, in an interview on the Kontra YouTube channel.
\nHe then accused migrants of stealing.
\nOn Friday, ND said it had expelled him.
\n\u201cOpinions such as those expressed by Spilios Kriketos have no place in our party,\u201d the party said in a statement.
\n\u201cStatements of hate and racism are not part of the party\u2019s values.\u201d
\nKriketos is running in the June 25 legislative elections which follow Mitsotakis\u2019s first place finish in May\u2019s polls which nonetheless left him without a clear parliamentary majority.
\nThe main leftist opposition party Syriza on Friday called the remarks \u201cracist\u201d and called on the ND to expel Kriketos.
\nThe former conservative government of Mitsotakis, in power for four years from 2019 to 2023 and credited with winning the May 25 elections, has followed a strict immigration policy and emphasised \u201csecurity\u201d and border lockdowns.
\nGreek media and NGOs have repeatedly accused Greece of carrying out \u201cillegal\u201d expulsions of migrants in the Aegean Sea, a charge rejected by the previous government.
\n\u201cNew Democracy implemented a strict but fair immigration policy, keeping the borders but protecting human life and saving thousands of people who were in danger at sea,\u201d the party said.
\nRelatives of migrants onboard the ill-fated vessel have been arriving in Greece in the last few days, trying to find out the fate of their loved-ones.
\nA unit for identifying disaster victims has been set up at the Migration Ministry in a southern Athens suburb.
\nIt will receive victims\u2019 relatives and carry out DNA tests, a ministry statement said on Friday.
\nThe unit will be open every day with interpreters available who speak English, Arabic, Pashto and Urdu, it added. Relatives and activists have said that at least 125 Syrians were on board the migrant ship that sank off Greece.
\nOfficials say the migrants had departed from Libya towards Italy.
\nThe survivors are mainly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan.
\nThe United Nations has called for in-depth investigations into the migrant boat sinking and urgent action to prevent further tragedies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ATHENS A right-wing Greek parliamentarian was expelled from the party of former prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, seeking a second term at polls next weekend, for racist remarks after the mass drowning of migrants. The Greek coastguard was continuing its search for survivors of the sinking of a boat carrying migrants that killed at least 78 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":338299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-338353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n