At least 15 people are dead after a speedboat carrying migrants collided with a Greek coast guard vessel off the eastern coast of the island of Chios, authorities said.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Hellenic Coast Guard said the crash happened in the early hours of Tuesday in the Myrsinidio Sea. Officials reported that the speedboat was transporting foreign migrant passengers and heading toward Chios without navigation lights.
According to the Coast Guard, a patrol vessel approached the speedboat and signaled it with lights and sound in an attempt to stop it. The driver failed to comply and instead reversed course, triggering a violent collision.
“Due to the severity of the impact, the speedboat capsized and sank, causing all passengers to fall into the sea,” the agency said.
Emergency crews immediately launched a large-scale search and rescue effort involving four Coast Guard patrol boats, a private vessel with civilian divers, and two Air Force helicopters.
One patrol boat managed to pull 25 people from the water — seven men, 11 women, and seven juveniles — all of whom were transported to a hospital. Authorities later said one woman died after being rescued.
Search teams also recovered 14 additional bodies from the sea, including 11 men and three women, bringing the confirmed death toll to at least 15.
The Central Port Authority of Chios has opened a preliminary investigation into the incident as rescue crews continue searching for any missing passengers, who are believed to be migrants attempting to reach the island.
Officials said the operation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine exactly how the deadly collision unfolded.
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This is one way of getting rid of illegals – hit them with a coast guard cutter.
Maybe if people who live in Third World countries did not consistently allow their countries to become Third World countries run by dictators, they wouldn’t have to infiltrate the remaining countries that are struggling not to become Third World themselves.
Just sayin…..