ATHENS, Greece – A diver who helped recover bodies from a deadly collision between a boat carrying migrants and a Greek coast guard vessel said Friday that most of the 15 people who died suffered serious head injuries, as questions arose over the circumstances of the incident.
Most of those killed in migrant boat collisions in Greece suffered serious head injuries, divers sayA search and rescue operation was underway Friday for those possibly missing, three days after the collision off the coast of the East Aegean island of Chios. 15 people were killed and 26 injured, including 11 children and two Coast Guard officers. It is not yet clear how many passengers were on board the small speedboat.
The large number of casualties raised questions as to how the clash took place. Judicial authorities have launched a formal investigation.
Evangelos Kirithras, a diver who took part in the body recovery that night, told The Associated Press that when he arrived at the scene, he found 12 bodies lying inside a half-submerged inflatable speedboat. He said the ship did not sink.
“Most of them had head injuries. I can’t describe how bad the head injuries were,” Kirithras said, comparing the injuries from hitting the wall. The diver said he has participated in other rescue and recovery operations with the coast guard in the past, “but this is the first time I have seen such a force.”
Greek media reported that a report prepared by four coroners who examined the bodies indicated that they suffered serious injuries. The report has not been made public.
The exact circumstances of the collision are still unclear. In an initial statement, the coast guard said its patrol boat approached the speedboat heading towards Chios without navigation lights. It said the speedboat ignored sound and light signals to stop and suddenly changed direction, collided with the patrol boat and sank.
Pictures released by the Coast Guard showed abrasion marks on the right side of the patrol boat. The Coast Guard’s account could not be independently verified.
Kostas Arvanitis, a left-wing member of the European Parliament, demanded the release of any footage from cameras on board the patrol vessel, saying, “The search, the clashes, the injuries testify to a very violent incident.
But authorities said the camera on board was not recording at the time.
Speaking in parliament on Friday, Maritime Affairs Minister Vassilis Kikilios, who has jurisdiction over the coast guard, said the decision not to activate the cameras was made by the ship’s captain because the migrant boat was already close and the long-range thermal imaging camera would not work properly.
“As I was informed… the function is infrared and long-distance, so even if it was activated, it would not have received a clear recording of the collision event,” Kikilias said, and reiterated that any judicial and administrative investigation into the incident is welcome.
All but one of the surviving passengers on the roughly 8m speedboat have been identified as Afghans, and one of the injured, a Moroccan national, has been arrested on suspicion of migrant smuggling.
Greece is a major entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Fatal accidents are a common occurrence. Many take the short but often dangerous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in the eastern Aegean. But increased patrols and complaints of pushback by Greek authorities — summary deportations without allowing asylum applications — have reduced crossing efforts.
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Kantouris reports from Thessaloniki, Greece
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