Several people have died in an incident between the Greek coast guard and a boat carrying migrants off the island of Chios.
02/04/2026, 02:3802/04/2026, 02:38
So far, 15 bodies have been recovered, according to deputy regional governor Pantelis Vroulis. All the victims are migrants, he said on Greek television. As the Greek broadcaster ERTNews reported, 25 injured people were taken to the island’s hospital. Eleven children and two coast guard officers were among the injured, it said.
Ambulances receiving the injured.Image: keystone
Collision and fall into the sea
According to previous information, dozens of migrants were on board a boat that was traveling from Turkey towards the coast of Chios. A patrol boat from the Greek coast guard is said to have discovered the boat; The request is said to have been made to change course. As a result, for reasons that are still unclear, there was a collision between the two boats, with several people falling into the sea, as the Athens news channel Skai reported. However, there was initially no official announcement about this.
Alarm in the port of Chios
Injured people are continuously being brought to the port of Chios and transported to the local hospital by rescue workers. The coast guard has launched a search and rescue operation together with the Greek Air Force. A helicopter with thermal imaging technology is also being used because people are expected to be missing, Greek media reported unanimously.
Smuggling gangs at work
Smugglers repeatedly bring migrants from Turkey to the Greek islands in the east of the Aegean. According to the UN refugee agency, almost a thousand migrants have crossed from Türkiye to these islands since the beginning of the year. (sda/dpa)