Paramedics and other employees of the emergency services mobilized in Chios after the shipwreck that took place on the night of February 3, PHOTO: Handout / AFP / Profimedia Images
Most of the 15 Afghan migrants who died last week off the Greek island of Chios after their inflatable boat collided with a coast guard vessel died of head injuries, not drowning, autopsy results seen by Reuters show.
A criminal investigation has been opened into the February 3 collision – one of Greece's deadliest migrant accidents in recent years – in which a coast guard vessel rammed an inflatable boat carrying around 39 people, causing it to capsize.
The Greek Coast Guard said the migrant boat was traveling without navigation lights and had ignored warnings to stop. According to the authorities, the inflatable boat would have suddenly changed direction and hit the patrol vessel.
But the testimonies of five survivors, analyzed by Reuters, contradict the official version. They said the Coast Guard had given no advance warning and the vessel had not changed course. Divers later found lifeless bodies inside the boat.
Autopsy findings are likely to focus investigators on the force and nature of the impact.
“Cause of death: severe head and brain trauma,” said one of the court documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday, with other documents citing associated chest injuries. Another document indicates “cranial and brain trauma and subsequent drowning.”
What is known so far about the new tragedy off the coast of Greece
Photos taken by the Coast Guard after the collision showed only light scratches on the vessel. In total, three coast guard crew members and 24 migrants were injured.
So far, a 31-year-old Moroccan survivor has been held pending trial on charges that include migrant smuggling and causing the fatal accident. He denies the allegations.
Coast Guard officials declined to comment on the case while the official investigation is ongoing.
Greece, which was on the front lines of Europe's migration crisis in 2015-2016, says it respects international law and human rights and that its coastguard has rescued tens of thousands of people.
Since 2019, however, the country has adopted tougher migration policies, drawing criticism from human rights organizations.
Hundreds of migrants died in a 2023 shipwreck after what witnesses described as a failed attempt by the Coast Guard to tow their boat. A naval court is still investigating the case.
