Nine suspected people smugglers who were among the survivors of one of the Mediterranean’s most deadly migrant boat disasters have been arrested by the Greek authorities.

The men, who are all Egyptian, were detained in the port of Kalamata in southern Greece.

The large fishing vessel was believed to have been carrying up to 750 asylum seekers.

So far, 78 bodies have been recovered and 104 people found alive – meaning that nearly 600 people could have died in the tragedy, including about 100 children who were reportedly in the hold of the rusty vessel.

The arrested men, believed to include the skipper of the boat, will be charged with illegal migrant trafficking and forming a criminal organisation.