Chaos erupted on Tuesday night when, under circumstances that are under investigation, a boat carrying migrants was involved in an incident with a Coast Guard patrol boat off the island of Chios.
The official toll from the incident so far stands at 15 dead – eleven men and four women, all adults – while there are also reports of missing persons.
The exact number of people on board the boat has not yet been clarified. A Search And Rescue operation continued throughout the night and was intensified further at first light to locate any missing persons.
25 people, among them 10 children and two pregnant women, have been injured; some of them have undergone surgery, some are reportedly to be transferred to Athens.
Two Coast Guard officers, a man and a woman, have been also injured, with minor injuries.The man suffered an upper extremity injury, while the woman suffered a slight concussion.
The accident occurred on Tuesday, at around 21:00 on February 3, in the sea area off Mersinidi, in Vrontados, eastern Chios.
According to sources, the foreign nationals stated that they are of Afghan origin, while one is Moroccan who was also driving the speedboat.
How the incident unfolded
According to the information so far, the patrol boat located the boat with the migrants in the sea area near Vrontades. During the operation that followed, the two boats collided, resulting in many injuries and people being thrown into the sea.
Initial reports of gunfire were not confirmed by the authorities.
The Coast Guard boat after the collision
In a statement the Greek Coast Guard said that the incident occurred when an inflatable patrol boat of the Hellenic Coast Guard, which was carrying out a scheduled patrol, spotted an inflatable speedboat with foreign passengers, which was moving without navigation lights towards the eastern coast of Chios.
“The operator of the speedboat did not comply with the light and sound signals of the PLS vessel, instead he reversed course and collided with the right side of the patrol boat,” the announcement stated.
Due to the severity of the impact, the speedboat capsized and sank, resulting in all passengers being thrown into the sea.
During the operation, 25 migrants (7 men, 7 women and 11 minors) were recovered injured and transferred to the Skylitseio Hospital of Chios. There, one woman succumbed to her injuries.
In addition, two Coast Guard officers were transferred to the hospital – a man, who was discharged, and a woman who remains hospitalized for further examinations.
Heavy toll and continuation of the investigations
During the investigations, 14 bodies (11 men and 3 women) were located and collected, which were transferred to the port and then to the Skylitseio Hospital for autopsy – postmortem. In total, the bodies amount to fifteen (15).
The search for any missing persons continues, with the assistance of five patrol boats and a helicopter from the Hellenic Coast Guard.
Opposition parties demand a thorough investigation and report by the Greek coast Guard.
Wednesday afternoon, the Greek Coast Guard ordered an internal investigation on the deadly incident.
