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17 Greek Coastguards Charged Over 2023 Migrant Shipwreck That Killed Hundreds
The charges stem from the sinking of the Adriana, an overcrowded fishing vessel that capsized off the coast of Pylos, off the Greek coast, in the early hours of June 14, 2023.
Survivors allege the Greek coastguards caused the boat to capsize during a failed towing operation and then tried to silence witnesses.
“It has taken us two years just for these charges to come, even though so many people witnessed what happened,” one of the survivors said on Monday.
The Greek authorities have always denied the claims against them.
The Deputy Prosecutor of the Piraeus Naval Court has found that 17 members of the Hellenic Coast Guard should face criminal charges.
Among them is the captain of the coastguard ship, the LS-920, who is charged with “causing a shipwreck,” leading to the deaths of “at least 82 people.”
This corresponds to the number of bodies recovered, although it is thought as many as an additional 500 people drowned, including women and children who were all below deck.
The disaster occurred in international waters but within Greece’s rescue zone.
The then-Chief of the Coast Guard and the Supervisor of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Piraeus are among four officials charged with “exposing others to danger.”
The captain of the LS-920 is also charged with “dangerous interference of maritime transport” as well as a “failure to provide
assistance” to the migrant boat.
The crew of the ship are charged for “simple complicity” in all the acts allegedly committed by the captain.
A coast guard ship had been monitoring the Adriana for 15 hours before it sank.
The boat, carrying an estimated 750 people, went down in international waters but within Greece’s designated search-and-rescue zone. Only 104 survived.
The case has been being investigated since the day of the disaster and a series of findings cast serious doubt on the official Greek version of events.
Within a week, shipping data was obtained which challenged the claim the migrant boat had not been in trouble and so did not need to be rescued.
A month later, survivors said the coastguard had caused their boat to sink in a disastrous effort to tow it and then forced witnesses to stay silent.
Last year, a case against nine Egyptians was thrown out, amid claims they had been scapegoated by the Greek authorities.
