Greece: Moroccan arrested after 15 migrants die in sea collision
A Moroccan man has been arrested on the Greek island of Chios following a deadly collision between a migrant boat and a Greek Coast Guard vessel, which claimed the lives of 15 people. Greek port police reported the arrest on Thursday.
The 31-year-old suspect was identified by Afghan survivors as a human trafficker. He is set to appear before an investigating judge on charges of facilitating illegal entry into Greece, refusing to comply with authorities, and causing a shipwreck. He is currently receiving medical treatment in hospital, according to Greek public television ERT.
The accident occurred Tuesday evening near Chios, close to the Turkish coast, when a high-speed migrant boat failed to obey the Coast Guard’s instructions to stop and collided with the patrol vessel. More than 20 people were injured, and the total number of migrants on board remains unknown.
Greek authorities emphasized that the boat involved lacked navigation lights, and the pilot ignored visual and auditory signals from the Coast Guard. The violent impact caused the migrant boat to capsize and sink. Rescue operations involving five patrol boats and a helicopter continued Wednesday and Thursday morning, but no additional survivors have been found.
The Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs, Vassilis Kikilias, assured that the investigation will be conducted with transparency and professionalism. The dangerous crossing between Turkey and the Greek islands has long been associated with frequent fatal shipwrecks, drawing criticism from NGOs and media over alleged illegal pushbacks of migrants.
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