Greek authorities have denied one of their coastguard vessels caused a migrant boat to sink with the loss of at least 78 lives.
But as the row raged and hopes of finding more people alive faded, there was a scene of joy as one survivor was reunited with his relieved brother, who he embraced through a metal barricade.
Reports had claimed the migrant boat capsized on Wednesday after a rope was attached to it from a coastguard vessel, 50 miles off the southern coast of Greece.
But government spokesman Ilias Siakantaris had insisted the crew only briefly “used a rope to steady themselves, to approach, to see if they wanted any help”.
He added: “There was no mooring rope. They refused it, they said, ‘No help, we go to Italy’ and went on their way.”
Hundreds of people are still missing, including more than 100 children.
On Wednesday, 78 bodies were recovered and 104 asylum seekers rescued. Most of the survivors were taken to a storage hangar at the port of Kalamata but 27 remained in hospital last night, officials said.
One survivor, 18-year-old Mohammad, from Syria, was tracked down by his brother Fadi, who was pictured clasping his cut and bruised head through the barriers. Delighted Fadi, who travelled from the Netherlands to search for Mohammad, told him: “Thank God for your safety”
Dozens more relatives gathered at the port hoping for news, clutching images of their loved ones. Rescue efforts continued yesterday, despite minimal hopes of finding anyone alive.
The fishing boat carrying the migrants had been travelling from Libya to Italy.
Nine men from Egypt have been arrested and detained on allegations of people smuggling.
The UN described the sinking as one of the biggest tragedies in the Med.
