A 31-year-old Moroccan was arrested on the Greek island of Chios following a collision between a migrant boat and a Greek coast guard vessel that resulted in 15 deaths, the Greek port police announced Thursday, as reported by the media.
This man was identified by Afghan survivors as a smuggler, the same source added, noting that he is to appear Thursday before an investigating judge on charges of “facilitation of illegal entry into the Greek territory,” “refusal to comply,” and “causing a shipwreck.” The collision between a Greek coast guard patrol boat and a migrant boat heading toward the European Union occurred on Tuesday off the island of Chios, located just a few nautical miles from the Turkish coast.
No fewer than 15 people perished in this accident and more than 20 people were injured.
According to the Minister of Migration, Thanos Plevris, “the coast guard spotted the migrant boat and ordered them to stop, but the smugglers made a turn to escape and struck the patrol boat” of the port police.
