Six migrants die as speedboat and Greek coast guard vessel collide off Lesvos
Greek authorities said six migrants, including an infant, died off Lesvos, while eight survivors were hospitalised and a suspected smuggler was arrested.
Agrilia, Greece. A collision between a speedboat transporting migrants from Turkey and a Greek coast guard vessel left six people dead, including an infant, near Lesvos early Monday, according to Greek authorities. The speedboat capsized following the impact.
Eight survivors taken to hospital
The coast guard reported that rescuers retrieved four men, a woman and an infant who had died. Eight survivors were transported to hospital after the incident, which occurred around 3.5 nautical miles south of Agrilia on Lesvos.
Authorities said they arrested a Turkish national, aged 37, who survived the collision. They identified him as the suspected smuggler and the speedboat’s operator.
Minister says circumstances remain under investigation
Vassilis Kikilias, Greece’s shipping minister, held migrant traffickers responsible for the fatalities. He said preliminary evidence suggested that the speedboat’s bow hit the coast guard vessel on its left side, while investigators were still establishing the precise circumstances.
“Our position is non-negotiable: zero tolerance for smugglers,” Kikilias wrote on X.
Greece’s role in migration to Europe
Greece has for many years been a preferred route into Europe for migrants and refugees originating in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
During Europe’s migration crisis in 2015-16, Greece was a frontline country. Almost 1 million people reached its islands during that period, with most arriving from Turkey.
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