Greece Indicts Seventeen Coastguards in Pylos Catastrophic Shipwreck
(MENAFN) A news outlet has reported that 17 officers from Greece's Hellenic Coast Guard, including the commanding officer of the LS-920 patrol vessel, are now facing formal charges related to the catastrophic 2023 shipwreck off Pylos—a maritime tragedy ranked among the deadliest in the Mediterranean in the past ten years.
According to the Deputy Prosecutor at the Piraeus Naval Court, the individuals have been indicted for their roles in the sinking of the fishing trawler Adriana on June 14, 2023. The ill-fated boat, which had departed from Libya en route to Italy, was carrying approximately 750 migrants when it sank in international waters under Greece’s jurisdiction for search and rescue operations.
Authorities managed to recover 82 bodies from the wreck, but as many as 650 people, including numerous women and children believed to be trapped below deck, are presumed to have died. Just 104 people aboard survived the disaster.
The captain of the LS-920 now faces multiple charges: "causing a shipwreck," "dangerous interference of maritime transport," and "failure to provide assistance." Four high-ranking officials—among them the former Coast Guard chief and the coordinator of the National Search and Rescue Centre—have been accused of "exposing others to danger." Crew members from the LS-920 are charged with "simple complicity."
Some survivors alleged that the tragedy unfolded after the Coast Guard attempted to tow the overcrowded vessel, leading to its capsizing. There are also claims that authorities later tried to suppress witness testimonies.
A legal team representing victims described the indictments as “a substantial and self-evident development in the course of vindication of the victims and the delivery of justice.”
The 17 coastguards are scheduled to undergo questioning in the coming weeks. A court will then determine whether the case proceeds to trial or is dismissed.
Despite the charges, Greek officials maintain that the Coast Guard operates within the bounds of international law and human rights standards, emphasizing that more than 250,000 lives have been saved by the service over the last decade.
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