Fifteen migrants lost their lives when their overloaded boat crashed into a Greek Coast Guard vessel near the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea on Tuesday night, according to various reports. The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of 11 men and four women, and left 25 others injured, including children and two coast guard officers. The exact number of people on the overcrowded boat is still unknown.
The eight-meter long migrant boat was traveling without its navigation lights turned on and failed to respond to signals from the coast guard. It changed direction and struck the side of the patrol vessel, causing the boat to capsize and sink.
V. Kikilias, the Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs, commented, “Modern-day smugglers and human traffickers are the enemies of this country. They endanger lives: both of these unfortunate individuals and our coast guard personnel.”
Coast guard teams managed to rescue 25 migrants, but one woman later passed away in the hospital, increasing the death toll to 15. Most of the migrants were from Afghanistan, with one person from Morocco.
Migration Minister Thanos Plevris spoke in parliament on Wednesday, saying, “The smugglers are responsible for the deaths of 15 people; the coast guard saved lives.” He defended the coast guard's actions amidst questions about how a small boat could collide with a patrol vessel.
There were concerns about whether gunfire was involved in the incident. However, Christos Tsiachris, director of Skylitseio General Hospital in Chios, stated in a television interview that several migrants had surgery, but none had gunshot wounds. He did not provide an update on the medical condition of the two coast guard members injured.
This tragic event underscores the ongoing dangers faced by migrants trying to reach Greek islands from Turkey. The boat was carrying far more people than it was designed to hold safely.