The Hellenic Coast Guard Must Be Held Accountable for the Chios Shipwreck

On the night of 3 February 2026, a high-speed inflatable boat carrying foreign nationals capsized near the eastern coast of Chios, in the Myrsinidi area. The Hellenic Coast Guard reported that the boat was traveling without navigation lights and ignored repeated light and sound signals from a patrol vessel. According to the HCG, the inflatable reversed course, collided with the starboard side of the patrol vessel, and capsized (HCG). Survivors, however, reported that the Coast Guard vessel approached silently at night, without warning lights or sirens, and passed directly over the boat, causing injuries and fatalities (Equal-Rights)

Immediately following the incident, a search and rescue operation was launched under the coordination of the HCG Joint Rescue Coordination Center. Four patrol vessels, a privately owned boat with civilian divers, and two Hellenic Air Force helicopters participated. Twenty-five people were rescued alive, including seven men, seven women, and eleven minors, and were taken to Skilitsio Hospital in Chios. Fourteen bodies (eleven men and three women) were recovered and transported for autopsy and forensic examination (BBC). Autopsy reports prepared in the days following the incident concluded that the deaths were caused by severe cranioencephalic injuries and blunt thoracic trauma, with several cases of instantaneous death. Documented injuries included multiple fractures, extensive internal organ damage, and trauma-related fetal deaths. Hospital staff reported that surviving children were frozen with fear and screaming, and three required intensive care (TPP). The recorded causes of death consistently cited severe head trauma, often accompanied by injuries to the chest, neck, arms, and legs (News 24/7, Reuters).

Hospital staff reported that survivors stated the Coast Guard vessel struck the boat, contradicting the official account that the refugees’ boat collided with the patrol vessel. According to health sources speaking anonymously to The Press Project, one survivor said no warning signals were given and that the group, which included families with women and children, believed they had reached Greek waters. Another hospital worker described that a survivor gestured to indicate that the Coast Guard vessel approached and hit their boat. Health personnel further reported that survivors were in serious physical and psychological condition, with ten children among the injured, three of whom required intensive care. Two women reportedly miscarried, and one underwent a splenectomy. Hospital staff compared the injuries to those typically seen in severe traffic accidents (TPP).

The Hellenic Coast Guard issued a statement presenting a different version of events. It stated that during a scheduled patrol, a patrol vessel identified an inflatable speedboat with foreign passengers operating without navigation lights near the eastern coast of Chios, in the Myrsinidi sea area. According to the Coast Guard, the operator failed to comply with light and sound signals, reversed course, and collided with the patrol vessel’s starboard side, leading to the boat capsizing (HCG). A report in Kathimerini noted that the incident was not recorded, although a camera was present, because it had not been activated. In a televised statement, the Minister for Migration, Thanos Plevris, said the vessel was equipped with operational cameras used primarily for nighttime target detection, which were not activated because it was deemed unnecessary in this case (News 24/7).

Health sources reported that a preliminary inquiry is being conducted in the hospital, with statements taken from injured survivors. Identification procedures are also taking place within the hospital environment. One source stated that access to survivors is restricted to medical personnel and Coast Guard officers, with a Farsi interpreter present. A Moroccan national was arrested as the alleged operator of the vessel and transferred to a guarded hospital room, facing trafficking-related charges while sustaining injuries. Two forensic pathologists from Athens traveled to Chios to conduct autopsies alongside the local examiner to determine precise causes of death (TPP).

Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis stated publicly that NGO representatives at the hospital might be seeking to influence asylum procedures or prepare legal complaints against the Coast Guard, including allegations of pushbacks. On 5 February, he disclosed that NGO members appeared uninvited at the hospital’s surgical clinic despite an explicit refusal of offered assistance. He asserted that interpreters allegedly provided guidance rather than translation services, with the intention of shaping a narrative for future asylum applications or complaints against the Coast Guard. The individuals were removed and the incident reported to the National Intelligence Service (EYP) (Kathimerini).

Civil society organizations have emphasized accountability and independent investigation. Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) described the incident as indicative of a deterrence practice, noting that Greek authorities have an obligation to conduct rescue operations in territorial waters and called for an independent inquiry, questioning why onboard cameras were not activated (RSA, TPP). Members of the Chios-based social space Antivaro raised concerns about survivors being transferred to the Vial reception facility, which lacks electricity, and highlighted the strain on hospital staff (TPP).

The 31-year-old Moroccan national arrested by the HCG on charges of facilitating illegal entry, causing a shipwreck, and disobeying authorities has consistently been denied recognition as the boat operator by survivors. One survivor initially identified him as the driver but later retracted the statement due to trauma. Pre-trial detention continues amid survivor testimony asserting that the Coast Guard vessel directly caused the capsizing. The HCG maintains that the inflatable boat collided with the patrol vessel due to speed, overloading, and maneuvering errors. Defense lawyer Dimitris Choulis emphasized that none of the survivors recognized the Moroccan man as the driver, and that the accident was caused by the Coast Guard (Kathimerini).

Human Rights Legal Project (HRLP) publicly raised concerns about the targeting and intimidation of defense lawyers, describing Minister Plevris’ public remarks questioning why an NGO would represent the alleged trafficker as an attempt to discredit the organization and intimidate lawyers. HRLP emphasized that defending rights of people on the move and holding state authorities accountable are fundamental to democratic oversight and the rule of law (HRLP).

Minister Plevris defended the Coast Guard in media appearances, criticizing premature accusations and asserting that political actors were attempting to exploit the incident to defame personnel. He referenced a separate maritime incident involving FRONTEX near Crete, where no similar criticism arose. Plevris also questioned the NGO-affiliated defense lawyer’s motives, arguing that the Coast Guard should not be blamed (News 24/7).

Five days after the shipwreck, local residents, civil society actors, and legal representatives described an atmosphere of shock and uncertainty. Alexandros Panagiotakis of Antivaro highlighted public debate on the island regarding Coast Guard actions and deterrence-based migration policies. Minos Mouzourakis, lawyer with RSA, emphasized the necessity of an independent investigation, examining all evidence including digital material, forensic findings, and survivor testimony (TPP).

Survivors remain in a precarious legal and living situation. Many have not been formally registered in the asylum system, leaving them vulnerable to criminalization. Post-hospital care is limited, and previously suspended monthly financial support creates further hardship. The asylum process is lengthy due to capacity constraints, interpreter shortages, and prior experience from the 2023 Pylos shipwreck, where asylum decisions varied from one month to over a year.

Hospital staff described the night of the shipwreck as overwhelming, noting 25 injured individuals, including 11 children, arriving at a regional hospital with limited staff. Giannis Koutsodontis of the Chios Hospital Workers’ Union compared the injuries to multiple simultaneous major traffic accidents .

According to Mouzourakis, Greece has been convicted four times by the European Court of Human Rights in the past three years for migrant boat incidents or Coast Guard operations involving excessive force, with findings of violations of the right to life and inadequate domestic investigations. (TPP)

 The Coast Guard vessel commander testified that responsibility lay with the inflatable boat’s operator, who allegedly lost control during a sudden maneuver and collided with the patrol vessel. He stated that visibility conditions were good, navigation lights and sirens were active, and the thermal camera was not activated as it was unnecessary. Recording equipment was unavailable due to missing recording cards (LIFO).

The Moroccan national maintains his innocence. Through legal representatives, he has requested examination of onboard recording systems, lifting of telecommunications confidentiality for Coast Guard personnel, and independent expert forensic reconstruction of the collision. These requests aim to clarify circumstances and ensure a process free from political pressure (LIFO, Ethnos).

Politically, the government attributed full responsibility to smugglers. Minister Plevris referred to them as “murderers” who overloaded unsafe boats, praised the Coast Guard, and defended official reports. He has drawn international attention for previous statements suggesting harsh measures to control borders back in 2011. Minister of Shipping Vassilis Kikilias echoed the government’s stance and linked the incident to proposed tougher penalties for smugglers (EFSYN).

Opposition parties called for a full and independent investigation. PASOK emphasized protection of human life, SYRIZA–Progressive Alliance highlighted transparency and human rights obligations, KKE demanded clarification on safety protocols and potential pushbacks, New Left stressed the importance of transparency, MeRA25 denounced inhumane policies, and Plefsi Eleftherias criticized xenophobic rhetoric (EFSYN). SYRIZA MEP Kostas Arvanitis requested release of all Coast Guard footage and recordings.

International media, including Reuters, AFP, BBC, Le Monde, and The Guardian, reported the incident within the broader context of tightening migration policies in Greece and Europe, recalling the Pylos shipwreck and warning that the Mediterranean remains one of the deadliest migration routes. (EFSYN). 

To place this tragedy in its broader context, it is not an isolated incident. In 2024 and 2025 alone, we documented at least 15 lethal pushbacks and high-speed boat chases facilitated by the Hellenic Coast Guard, many of which ended in serious injury or death. Time and again, families fleeing conflict and persecution have paid with their lives in operations marked by opacity, impunity, and the absence of effective oversight (Aegean Pilot Data, 2024-2025). 

We mourn the lives lost off Chios - men, women, and children who should have been met with protection, not death. We stand with the survivors, who carry not only physical injuries but significant trauma. 

Mourning, however, is not enough. When repeated fatal incidents occur during operations by the Hellenic Coast Guard, accountability becomes an urgent necessity. We demand truth, justice, and an end to practices that place human lives at risk in the Aegean Sea.

Words by Aggelina C.