At least 18 people have died in two serious boat accidents in the Aegean. In addition, according to the Greek Coast Guard, many people are still missing. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen shipwrecks with so many dead, and then two at a time,” said a spokesman for the agency.
Athens raises serious allegations against Turkey: The coast guard there must finally stop the smuggling activities and prevent people from leaving the Turkish west coast, especially given the extremely bad weather that is currently prevailing in the region, it was said.
First of all, on Wednesday evening off the island of Kythira, a sailing boat with probably 95 migrants on board smashed into rocks. Rescue workers and residents pulled people up a massive steep wall with ropes in the middle of the dark in strong winds, as video recordings showed. The search continued during the day, according to media reports, at least 15 people are still missing. There were initially different statements about the number of dead. As of Thursday afternoon, 80 people have been rescued so far.
On Thursday night, a boat with around 40 passengers capsized off the east coast of Lesbos – also in a rocky region. According to initial findings, there were mainly women on board. The Coast Guard recovered 18 bodies, including 16 women, a boy and a man. The hope of finding the missing is dwindling, it said. Bad weather and strong winds in the region made rescue work difficult.
In view of the two accidents, there was sharp criticism of Ankara from Athens. “Once again, Turkey’s tolerance of unscrupulous smuggling gangs has cost lives,” said Shipping Minister Giannis Plakiotakis. As long as the Turkish coast guard does not prevent these actions, smugglers continue to stuff people into boats without safety precautions that cannot withstand the weather conditions. Turkey must comply with the refugee pact with the EU, Plakiotakis demanded.
