Old, disabled, kids, non-swimmers, people who panic - most couldn’t swim the 200-odd yards of COLD water. Even if they could stay afloat hypothermia would get them in minutes.
Point taken, but HOW cold is it? I realize it's winter, but it's the Mediterranean, not the North Atlantic. I wonder how much difference there is?
And if there was a current moving away from shore...
It was dark and maybe they couldn’t see the shore...
Or the ship was between a swimmer and the shore...
I have been paralyzed in cold water - it took less than a minute.