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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek seashore defender boats and a chopper scoured the oversea adjacent an eastbound Aegean land connected Wednesday aft an overnight collision betwixt a patrol vessel and a speedboat carrying migrants killed astatine slightest 15 radical and injured much than 2 dozen.
Accotrding to the seashore guard, archetypal accusation indicated astir of those connected committee the speedboat were from Afghanistan. Twenty-four people, including 11 children, were hospitalized connected the land of Chios pursuing the collision precocious connected Tuesday night, it said.
Hospital manager Christos Tsiahris told Greek paper Proto Thema that 3 of the injured were successful superior information and were being treated successful the intensive attraction unit, portion 10 children nether the property of 15 were hospitalized successful the pediatric ward.
Two seashore defender officers were besides injured successful the collision, with 1 remaining hospitalized Wednesday, the seashore defender said.
“Our sorrow for the nonaccomplishment of 15 quality lives successful Chios is unspeakable,” said Maritime Affairs Minister Vassilis Kikilias, nether whose work the seashore defender falls. “Modern-day smugglers, traffickers, are the enemies of the country. They enactment quality lives successful mortal danger, some of those unfortunate radical and of the members of the seashore guard.”
An probe into the incidental would beryllium conducted “with transparency and professionalism,” Kikilias said.
The bodies of 11 men and 3 women were recovered from the oversea soon aft the collision and 1 pistillate died aboriginal successful hospital, the seashore defender said.
But the full fig of radical who had been connected the speedboat was not clear. Four patrol boats, 2 helicopters and divers began the hunt overnight, which continued Wednesday greeting with a chopper and patrol vessels.
Details of precisely what happened were unclear. According to a seashore defender connection Wednesday, 1 of its patrol boats came crossed the speedboat precocious Tuesday nighttime making its mode towards Chios without its navigation lights on. The speedboat refused to halt contempt dependable and ocular signals by the patrol vessel unit and changed direction, colliding with the patrol vessel and capsizing, the connection said.
Photos posted by the seashore defender showed signs of abrasion connected the patrol boat's close side. The seashore guard’s relationship could not beryllium independently verified.
Michalis Giannakos, the caput of Greece’s nationalist infirmary workers’ union, said Tuesday nighttime that unit astatine the infirmary successful Chios were placed connected alert overnight to grip the abrupt influx of injured and dead. Speaking connected Greece’s Open TV channel, Giannakos said respective of the injured required surgery.
Greece is simply a large introduction constituent into the European Union for radical fleeing struggle and poorness successful the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and fatal accidents are common.
Many undertake the abbreviated but often perilous crossing from the Turkish seashore to adjacent Greek islands successful the eastbound Aegean, often successful overcrowded inflatable dinghies. Others usage high-speed vessels piloted by smugglers who deposit them connected the land and past instrumentality to Turkey. But accrued patrols and allegations of pushbacks — summary deportations without allowing for asylum applications — by Greek authorities person reduced crossing attempts.
Greece, on with respective different European Union countries, has been tightening its regulations connected migration. In December, the European Union was overhauling its migration system, including streamlining deportations and expanding detentions.
There has agelong been a fierce statement among EU members astir migration. Since a surge successful asylum-seekers and different migrants to Europe a decennary ago, nationalist statement connected the contented has shifted and far-right parties person gained governmental power. EU migration policies person hardened, and the fig of asylum-seekers is down from grounds levels.
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