Investigation launched into migrant tragedy in Greece
Ylva Johansson, member of the European Union (EU) Commission responsible for home affairs, announced that the Naval Military Court in Greece has initiated an investigation into the responsibility of the Greek Coast Guard teams for the migrant tragedy off the coast of Greece.
According to the reports in the Greek press, Johanson answered the questions of the Freedoms Committee (LIBE) delegation on the subject.
Stating that an investigation has been initiated by the Naval Military Court in Greece regarding the disaster, Johanson said, "It is the duty of the naval court to investigate the actions of the Coast Guard and this should be investigated. This should be our main priority at the moment," he said.
Allegations of negligence by the Greek Coast Guard are increasing
According to Efimerida ton Sintakton newspaper, new video footage and an interactive map brought to the agenda by Forensis, the sister organisation of the UK-based Forensic Architecture, revealed the movements and attempts of the Greek Coast Guard teams at the time of the incident with the migrant boat that sank off the Peloponnese.
Accordingly, it was claimed that the boat capsized as a result of faulty attempts by the authorities.
In the news, it was claimed that the Coast Guard boat attempted to approach the boat with migrants and tow the boat twice, and it was noted that the official authorities did not accept this.
In the news in the Greek press, it was reported that a migrant who survived the tragedy said in his statement to the prosecutor that the boat sank when the Greek Coast Guard teams started to pull it with ropes.
In the statement of another migrant, it was recorded that he said, "The Greek Coast Guard boat tied a rope to the boat and while pulling the boat, the boat started to sway left and right due to excessive speed and capsized."
The Greek press, in the news report, which included the statements of the captain of the oil tanker named "Faithful Warrior" passing through the point where the disaster occurred, claimed that the ship was removed from the scene by the coast guard teams.
In the news report, which claimed that the Greek Search and Rescue Centre was aware of the dangerous swaying of the overloaded boat, it was stated that questions about why the Coast Guard teams chose to remove the oil tanker instead of calling the oil tanker to the scene for possible rescue operation should be answered.
Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the main opposition Radical Left Alliance (SYRIZA), visited the port of Kalamata, where migrants who survived the disaster were taken to get information about the incident, and said that migrants told him that the Greek Coast Guard was trying to push the boat towards Italian waters.
Disaster off the coast of Greece
On 14 June, a fishing boat carrying irregular migrants capsized in international waters 47 nautical miles from Navarin in Greece's Peloponnese Peninsula, killing 82 people and rescuing 104 people who were brought to the port of Kalamata.
According to the non-governmental organisation Alarm Phone, there were about 700 people on board.
