Greek Ombudsman detects serious omissions in coast guard’s handling of 2023 Pylos shipwreck

Greece’s Ombudsman has detected serious omissions in the coast guard’s handling of a shipwreck off the southwestern coastal town of Pylos in 2023 that claimed the lives of hundreds of migrants.
The Ombudsman released a statement Monday saying its inquiry into the incident revealed “a series of serious and reprehensible omissions” in the search and rescue duties on the part of eight senior officers of the coast guard.
“The report finds that the actions and omissions of the implicated officers during the handling of the incident on 13 and 14 June 2023 constitute the offences of deadly exposure to danger, as well as exposure to endangering the life, health and physical integrity of those on board the Adriana fishing vessel, punishable under article 306 of the Criminal Code,” it added.
Having collected around 5,000 pages of evidence, including written responses from the services involved, journalistic research, an additional 17 sworn testimonies and explanations from 10 coast guard officers, the Ombudsman maintained that some crucial evidence was withheld from its investigation, particularly in regard to allegations that the coast guard towed the stricken fishing vessel.
“The transparency of administrative action and the attribution of accountability, where they exist, for the fatal Pylos shipwreck is a constitutional precept, inextricably linked to the respect of the rule of law, as is the thorough investigation by the administration of any incident related to a violation of the right to life, health and physical integrity,” said Ombudsman Andreas Pottakis.
On June 14, 2023, a 30-meter-long fishing boat capsized and sank about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Pylos, with most of the migrants on board from Pakistan, Syria and Libya.
There were 104 survivors out of the roughly 750 migrants on board, with the rest considered dead.
Since then, many international bodies and rights groups have urged the Greek government to launch an international and independent probe into the tragic incident.
AA