Collision with Greek coast guard boat leaves 15 migrants dead

At least 15 migrants have died after a speedboat carrying them collided with a Greek coast guard vessel off the coast of the island of Chios late on Tuesday.

Greek authorities said the speedboat was making dangerous manoeuvres and that a pursuit was under way at the time of the collision in the Chios Strait, near the village of Vrontados.

Twenty-four people were rescued, some of whom were seriously injured, and others are reportedly still missing.

Confirming the collision, the coast guard said the speedboat had capsized and sunk.

Searches in the area continued on Wednesday.

The incident comes amid continued scrutiny of Greece’s handling of migrant crossings following the Pylos shipwreck in June 2023, when hundreds of migrants died after an overcrowded fishing boat sank off the country’s southern coast.

That disaster prompted investigations by Greek and international authorities into the role of the coast guard and wider search-and-rescue practices in the region.

A search and rescue operation continued on Wednesday in the waters off Myrsinidi beach, which involved four coastguard vessels, a privately owned boat carrying civilian divers and a helicopter.

Greek state broadcaster ERT said the injured included seven children, a pregnant woman and two coastguard officers.

The coast guard confirmed an inflatable patrol boat had seen an inflatable speedboat with foreign passengers and had been moving without navigation lights towards the eastern coast of Chios.

Authorities say light and sound signals were made to the speedboat but it did not stop, reversing course instead and colliding with the patrol boat on the starboard side.

The speedboat then capsized and sank, with all passengers falling into the sea.

The 25 injured people included seven men, seven women and 11 minors who were all taken to the Skylitseio Hospital. Later, one of the women died.

Three of the injured people had surgery after the accident caused serious trauma to their vital organs.

Hospital authorities said two pregnant women among the injured were going to have surgery after doctors said the foetuses had no cardiac activity.

Many of the injured were also being treated for hypothermia, head injuries and fractures.

Two members of the coast guard were also taken to hospital, with one man discharged and a woman held for further examinations.

The coast guard confirmed two patrol boats had picked up a total of 14 bodies - those of 11 men and three women.

The bodies were taken to hospital for autopsies and the Central Port Authority of Chios has begun an investigation.

Greece’s navy also issued a navigational warning, placing the search area under Greek co-ordination.

Naval vessels in the area were put on alert to assist if requested by the search and rescue coordination centre.

Source: BBC

--Agencies