Thursday, May 9

Greece boat accident, survivor reaches Home

Migrants who survived a boat sinking off the coast of Greece say they were packed tightly into a rusty fishing vessel by human traffickers in North Africa. They said it was horrible on deck and below since there was no food or drink.

Some have also speculated that the Greek coastguard’s activities contributed to the eventual fatal outcome. They have informed the authorities that an unsuccessful attempt was made to tow the overloaded trawler, which led to the vessel’s sinking in the early hours of June 14.

Six of the nine statements from survivors presented to Greek court officials examining the causes of the tragedy included a failed coastguard towing attempt.

According to a Syrian survivor, the Greek coastguard vessel tied a rope to the bow of the trawler and proceeded to pull it while gathering up speed, prompting cries of “Stop!” from the migrants on board the Adriana, which had broken down en route to Italy.

He went on to explain that the migrant boat lurched to the side and then turned upside down.

There were three more witnesses, all of whom expressed uncertainty as to what brought down the Adriana. 

Greece’s coast guard and government have publicly said that they made no attempt to tow the boat and that it capsized when they were only 70 meters away, contradicting the accounts of the six witnesses.

The Shipping Ministry, which is responsible for the Coast Guard, was informed that it could not discuss matters that were currently the focus of a confidential investigation by prosecutors. Prosecutors in Greece are unable to discuss ongoing investigations due to legal restrictions.

On June 17-18, detectives who were conducting a preliminary investigation into the incident heard from the nine survivors. Preliminary investigations have led to the detention of a group of suspects who were arrested on June 15 on charges including manslaughter, migrant smuggling, and creating a shipwreck. False accusations are rejected by them.

A survivor identified only as Mohamed recalled the terrible minutes before the Adriana capsized after being towed by the coast guard.

The boat rapidly capsized after they yanked on us. It rocked to the right, then the left, and finally overturned to the right. ”People began to trample one another,” he said. People were piled on top of one other, yelling, and essentially drowning in a sea of humanity. There were waves and it was late at night. Scary, right?

A coastguard spokeswoman publicly disputed on June 15 that a coastguard vessel had ever hooked a rope to the Adriana in response to local media accounts citing some survivors who alleged the trawler was towed.

A day later, the coastguard changed its story, saying that its ship had tied a rope to the Adriana in order to get closer so they could talk. The coast guard insisted they never approached the boat in an effort to tow it.

Admiral Nikos Spanos, who retired from the Greek coast guard, said that it was doubtful that a coast guard vessel would have attempted to tow the disabled trawler.

The coast guard wanted to make better touch with the ship so that they could provide assistance and evaluate the situation. That’s how I interpret it, anyway. This is the best way to move it; towing it or any other alternative would have been too dangerous.

“NoHelp. “, you go Italy!”

The UN refugee agency estimates that between 400 and 750 migrants, largely from Syria, Egypt, and Pakistan, were on board when the Adriana collapsed and drowned 47 miles southwest of Pylos, in international waters inside Greece’s search-and-rescue jurisdiction.

It is improbable that any more survivors will be found at one of the deepest sections of the Mediterranean, where 104 have already been located.

The record of the coast guard ship was also provided to the courts, and it describes two separate occasions, two hours apart, when the coast guard vessel came within two miles of the Adriana.

The record states that at 11:40 p.m. on June 13, the ship drew alongside the trawler, which had an ailing engine, and hooked a rope to it so it could come closer and communicate with the crew.

The log says the passengers yelled “No help” and “Go Italy” before untying the rope and restarting the Adriana’s engine to set course for the west.

After the Adriana ceased all forward motion, the coast guard vessel was sent back to the trawler around 1:40 a.m. to assess its status.

According to the record, the coast guard vessel got within 70 meters of the Adriana after hearing a lot of shouting, and the trawler sank within seven minutes.

‘Safer’ deck costs an additional $55

According to those who made it to safety, the Adriana left a beach in or near the Libyan city of Tobruk on or around June 10. Mohamed, a survivor, told Reuters that the traffickers had taken their valuables and thrown out bottles of water before they boarded.

One Syrian refugee testified to law enforcement that there was only 40 centimeters of space between passengers.

All eleven people who made it out alive said they paid between $4,500 and $6,000 for the trip and were promised to arrive in Italy within three days. Three of the ship’s survivors reported to police that they paid an additional 55-220 euros ($55-$50) for cabins on the ship’s outer deck.

They were among the thousands of individuals who left North Africa in boats this year, hoping to reach southern Europe. EU border agency data shows that in the first five months of 2023, there were over 50,000 “irregular border” crossings of the Central Mediterranean, the vast majority of which originated in Tunisia and Libya.

More than 30 migrants were missing after a dinghy bound for the Canary Islands in Spain capsized a week after the disaster off the coast of Greece.

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