Survivors of a shipwreck that killed 15 Afghan illegal migrants off Greece last week said that the dinghy they were in did not change course or ram a coastguard vessel, contradicting the official account by authorities. Fifteen people died in the shipwreck off the island of Chios on February 3.
Two dozen others, including 11 minors, were rescued, some of them seriously injured, the coastguard said. The coastguard said in a statement last week that the illegal migrants’ boat was sailing with its navigation lights switched off and that it ignored a patrol vessel’s warnings to stop.
When approached, it abruptly changed course, hitting the coastguard vessel and capsizing. However, testimonies from three survivors, reviewed by Reuterssaid that the coastguard did not offer any prior warning and that the dinghy did not change course.
