A collision between a speedboat carrying migrants and a Greek coast guard patrol vessel off the eastern Aegean island of Chios has killed at least 14 people, the coast guard said late Tuesday. A search-and-rescue operation involving patrol boats, an air force helicopter and divers remained under way to look for possibly missing passengers.
Authorities said another 25 migrants, including about 11 children, were pulled from the water and taken to the hospital on Chios, along with two injured coast guard officers. Of the 14 bodies recovered so far, 11 were men and three were women. Officials did not immediately say how many people had been on the speedboat.
Four patrol vessels, an air force helicopter and a private boat carrying divers were involved in the search, the coast guard said. Video published by a local news site showed at least one person carried in a blanket from a boat and placed into a waiting coast guard vehicle with blue lights, while others led two children, one limping, toward the vehicle.
The coast guard said it had no immediate information on how the collision occurred or on the identities of the dead and other passengers.
Michalis Giannakos, head of Greece’s public hospital workers’ union, said hospital staff on Chios had been placed on alert to cope with the sudden influx of injured and were standing by for more arrivals. Speaking on television, he said several of the wounded required surgery.
Greece is a major entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Fatal accidents are common on the often-perilous short crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands. Increased patrols and accusations of pushbacks by Greek authorities have reduced the number of crossing attempts in recent years.
Several EU countries, including Greece, have tightened migration rules. In December the European Union moved to overhaul its migration system, aiming to speed deportations and expand use of detention. The migration debate across the bloc has hardened since a surge of asylum-seekers about a decade ago, with far-right parties gaining influence and numbers of asylum applicants falling from earlier peaks.
