Several media reports on the migrant boat accident in Greece in June reveal evidence of serious negligence on the part of the Greek authorities regarding the rescue operation.
On June 14, a boat en route from Libya to Italy sank off Greece. It was estimated that there were up to 750 people on board, of which 104 were saved. An additional 82 bodies have been found in the sea – around 500 others are feared to have drowned. No woman or child survived the crash.
According to newspaper reports, the coast guard did not treat emergency messages with sufficient seriousness and could even try to tow it away from its own territorial waters. According to reports, the Greek Coast Guard allowed the ship to drift at sea for 13 hours without starting a rescue operation.
“Steady on the way to Italy”
The fishing vessel Adriana set off from Tobruk, Libya, on the morning of June 9, with Pakistanis, Syrians and Egyptians on board, among others.
Greece received information about the migrant boat on June 13 at around 11 a.m. local time. The passengers of the fishing vessel had contacted a human rights activist to Nawal Souf, who informed the Greek and Italian authorities that the ship needed “immediate assistance”. The ship’s engine had stalled for two days, and the drinking water had run out.
The plane of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, which was alerted by Italy, spotted the migrant boat in Greek territorial waters around 1 pm. According to Frontex, there were clearly too many passengers on board. Later in the afternoon, the ship was also spotted by the Greek Coast Guard helicopter, according to which “the ship was steadily heading towards Italy”.
The Coast Guard asked two tankers sailing nearby to deliver food, water and fuel to Adriana. According to the second vessel, the condition of the boat was good, but the captain of the other reported that the boat was rocking dangerously from side to side due to overload.
According to the ships’ logbooks, they were alerted to the scene only hours after the Coast Guard helicopter had located Adriana.
The Alarm Phone emergency phone service for migrants crossing the Mediterranean also sent an emergency message to the Coast Guard at around 6:00 p.m. based on calls for help from Adriana’s passengers.
“The ship was steadily heading towards Italy”, is the Greek Coast Guard’s justification for not starting a rescue operation. However, according to the BBC’s report, the boat seemed to drift and stay almost in place for about seven hours before sinking.
According to The Guardian, Frontex offered the coast guard help for the rescue operation three times, but the coast guard did not respond to the offers of help.
The only patrol boat sent by the Coast Guard arrived at the scene in the middle of the night. The patrol boat was ordered to “search” for the migrant boat at around three in the afternoon. Coastguard sources told The Guardian that the patrol boat was dispatched from Chania, Crete, 150 nautical miles from the crash site, even though there would have been serviceable vessels on standby much closer.
– It should have been a “do everything you can” situation. The ship was clearly in danger, says a coast guard officer interviewed by The Guardian.
Adriana sank around 2 am 80 kilometers northwest of Pylos.
The rescue operation was started only after the boat capsized.
The Coast Guard took a picture of the Adriana before it sank.
Based on an extensive investigation by The Guardian and other media, the trawler suddenly turned west after a coast guard vessel had arrived. Several survivors have told The Guardian and Greek prosecutors that the coastguard had said they would lead the trawler to Italy.
Some of the survivors’ statements also tell of two towing efforts. According to the survivors, the second tow caused the ship to lose its balance and cause it to capsize.
– I feel that they tried to drive us away from Greek territorial waters so that they would not have to take responsibility, one of the survivors tells the Guardian.
The Greek Coast Guard has denied any attempt to tow the vessel. It has admitted that it attached the rope in order to get supplies to Adriana.
Claim: Passengers refused help
According to the Greek Coast Guard and two tankers, the Adriana’s passengers refused help.
However, according to the experts interviewed by The Washington Post, the authorities have an obligation to intervene in emergency situations. The coast guard should have taken into account the requests for help sent by the human rights activist Souf and the emergency phone and who is opposing the help and why.
Smugglers have a motive to refuse help to avoid capture.
According to the survivors, some of the coast guards who arrived at the scene wore balaclava. The Washington Post points out that the rejection of aid may be about fear. Emergency service Alarm Phone says in its announcementthat those crossing the Mediterranean are “aware of the appalling and systematic practices of the Greek authorities” to evict boats from their territorial waters.
In addition, Adriana’s passengers have said that they were afraid that the boat would capsize due to the waves caused by larger ships.
Ambiguous origins in accident investigation
Adriana’s last moments were witnessed only by the survivors of the accident and the 13 crew members of the Coast Guard patrol boat.
The Guardian asks why the night camera on the Coast Guard patrol boat was turned off during the events. The Coast Guard used the new EU-funded vessel almost entirely.
Among others, the British broadcasting company BBC and The Guardian have found indications that the Greek authorities have interfered with witness statements.
The first statements about the events were collected by the coast guard, the following statements by the Greek prosecutors and the judge investigating the case. Statements about towing appeared only in the latter statements. According to The Guardian, the Coast Guard’s statements from representatives of different nationalities are word for word the same.
The Greek authorities have arrested and brought charges against the nine Egyptians on board for, among other things, human smuggling and murder. They have pleaded not guilty.
According to the BBC, some of the survivors say that the defendants treated them badly on the boat. However, some say that the Coast Guard has instructed the survivors to accuse the Egyptians of smuggling.
The Guardian has interviewed the brother of one of the accused. According to this, the accused himself had paid the smugglers for the boat trip.
Among other things, the International Red Cross has demanded that the EU start an investigation into the accident. After the accident, the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration demanded that the EU take “quick and decisive action” to prevent deaths in the Mediterranean.