Athens [Greece], February 6 (ANI): At least 15 migrants were killed late Tuesday night after a speedboat carrying undocumented migrants collided with a Greek coast guard patrol vessel and sank in the Aegean Sea off the eastern Greek island of Chios, authorities said, in one of the deadliest maritime incidents involving migrants in the region in recent years, reported CNN.
The Hellenic Coast Guard said the collision happened as a patrol boat detected the migrant-filled speedboat heading toward the coast near Mersinidi, several miles from the Turkish shore. According to the official statement, “one of its patrol boats spotted a dinghy travelling toward Chios late Tuesday without navigation lights” and issued sound and visual signals for it to stop.
The coast guard added that instead of complying, the smaller vessel reversed course and “collided with the starboard side of the Coast Guard patrol boat,” causing the overloaded boat to capsize and sink.
Rescue efforts were immediately launched. Multiple patrol boats, an air force helicopter and civilian divers joined the search and rescue operation into the early hours of Wednesday morning, authorities said. At least 25 surviving migrants were pulled from the water and taken to hospitals on Chios, including 11 children, officials reported. Two coast guard officers who were injured in the incident were also treated, reported CNN.
The coast guard confirmed that the bodies of 14 people, 11 men and three women, were recovered from the sea, while another woman later died in hospital, bringing the confirmed death toll to 15. Some of the rescued survivors were reported to be in serious condition, while the total number of people aboard the speedboat remains unclear as the search continues for potentially missing individuals.
Medical authorities on Chios said emergency responders were on high alert given the sudden influx of injured migrants. Michalis Giannakos, head of Greece’s public hospital workers’ union, told Greek television that several of the injured required immediate surgery and that local hospitals were operating under significant strain to treat them, reported CNN.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the perilous nature of Mediterranean migrant crossings. Greece remains a key entry point for people fleeing war, poverty and persecution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, routes that have claimed thousands of lives over the past decade.
The International Organization for Migration has previously described the Mediterranean as one of the deadliest migration corridors in the world, with tens of thousands of migrants dying or going missing at sea since 2014.
Greek officials noted that increased patrols and stricter border measures, aimed at curbing illegal crossings, have been in effect for months.
However, critics say such policies have shifted smuggling routes and may contribute to riskier voyages. Investigations into the precise circumstances of the collision are under way, and authorities have yet to clarify whether the speedboat’s maneuver was intentional or a chaotic response to being intercepted.
As search and rescue operations continue, the incident has put renewed attention on Europe’s migration policies and the ongoing humanitarian challenges facing those who attempt the treacherous sea passage to seek safety and a better life. (ANI)