Greek coast ⁢guard charged over migrant boat ⁤disaster

Updated‍ May 27, 2025
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Seventeen members of⁣ the Greek coast guard have been ⁣charged in connection with the sinking of⁤ an overcrowded migrant vessel off the coast of Pylos in June ‍2023, an incident that claimed ⁤the lives of an estimated ‍650 people. The charges follow a⁤ lengthy investigation into the disaster, the deadliest of its kind in the⁤ Mediterranean ⁣Sea in the last 10 ⁢years.

The Piraeus Naval Court’s Deputy Prosecutor has brought⁢ criminal charges against the coast guard ⁣personnel, including the captain of the LS-920, the coast guard ship involved. The captain faces charges of causing a ⁤shipwreck that led to the ⁣deaths of at least 82 ‍people, the number of bodies recovered. He is also‍ charged with hazardous interference with⁢ maritime transport and failure to provide assistance ⁣to the ⁣vessel in distress.

Other charges include exposing individuals ⁢to danger, leveled against four officials, including the then-Chief of the Coast Guard and the Supervisor of the National ⁢Search and ⁣Rescue Coordination Center ‍in Piraeus. The remaining crew ⁤members ⁢of the LS-920 face charges of simple complicity in⁤ the captain’s alleged ⁤actions.

The Adriana, a fishing vessel carrying an estimated‍ 750 migrants from ⁤Libya⁤ to Italy, sank in‍ international waters within Greece’s ⁤rescue ⁣zone.Only 104 people survived.

Survivors have alleged ⁣that‍ the⁣ Greek coast guard caused the vessel to capsize during a botched attempt⁤ to tow it, and then silenced witnesses. The ⁤coast guard has consistently denied thes allegations.

Ahmad, a Syrian survivor now living in Germany, said the⁢ charges‍ made him feel vindicated. He lost his younger brother in the tragedy. Ahmad and another survivor, Musaab, had told the ‍BBC that they ⁢each paid $4,500 for a⁣ place ⁣on the boat. Musaab ⁢described the moment the coast guard allegedly caused the boat to sink, ⁣saying a rope was attached ⁤to the vessel, causing it⁢ to flip when the Greek vessel moved ⁤off quickly.

Lawyers representing the survivors and victims’‍ families hailed the ⁢charges as a important step toward⁢ justice. They noted that the prosecution⁤ and referral to main investigation for felonies of 17⁣ members of the‍ Coast Guard, including senior ⁢officers of ‍its leadership,⁣ constitutes a substantial and ⁤self-evident development in the ‍course of vindication of the⁢ victims and‍ the delivery of⁣ justice.

The charged coast⁣ guard members will be questioned in the coming weeks. ⁢The court will then ⁢decide whether to proceed‍ with a full trial or dismiss the charges. The potential penalties‍ the coast guard members could⁤ face if convicted⁣ remain ⁢unclear.

What’s next

The investigation and potential trial will likely take months,⁣ if not years. ⁤The focus will be on determining the precise sequence of events that led to the⁢ sinking and whether negligence or misconduct on the part of the Greek coast guard contributed to the high death toll.‍ The outcome of‍ the ⁤case could have significant implications for‍ how Greece and other European nations handle migrant rescue operations in the future.