Global Information2023 Messenia migrant boat disaster information
 Aerial photo of the migrant boat taken by HCG | |
| Date | 14 June 2023 |
|---|---|
| Time | 2:04 a.m. (EEST) |
| Location | 80 km (45 nmi) off the coast of Pylos, Greece |
| Casualties | |
| 104 rescued and transferred to Kalamata[1] | |
| Deaths | 82 (confirmed)[2][3] |
| Missing | Up to 500 presumed dead,[4] including 209 from Pakistan[5] |
On 14 June 2023, an Italy-bound fishing trawler smuggling migrants sank in international waters in the part of the Mediterranean known as the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Pylos, Messenia, Greece.[6][7][8] The boat, named Adriana,[a] which had a capacity of 400 people,[9] carried an estimated 400 to 750 migrants,[10][11] mostly from Pakistan, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and some from Afghanistan.[8][11] After departing from Tobruk, Libya, on 10 June, concerns were raised by 13 June, with the vessel then located in the Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) zone assigned to Greece.[12] The Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) helicopter and later the HCG vessel ΠΠΛΣ-920[13] arrived on scene, took aerial photos of the vessel, made offers of assistance that were allegedly refused,[14][4] then remained there as an observer until the boat capsized and sank.[15][13][16] After the Adriana had sunk "close to the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea",[17] the HCG and the military initiated a massive search and rescue operation.[18] One hundred and four men were rescued,[1][2] and 82 bodies were recovered.[19][2] By 18 June, officials had acknowledged that over 500 people were "presumed dead."[20]
By July 2023, investigations by the BBC, the New York Times,[21][22][15] The Guardian,[23] German public broadcaster ARD/NDR/Funk[24] and Greek investigative outlet Solomon,[13] together with research agency Forensis research group—a sister organisation of Forensic Architecture,[16] cast doubts on the original reports by the HCG.[25] Based on survivors' interviews, court documents, and sources from the coastguards they found evidence suggesting that the HCG ship may have caused the overcrowded vessel to capsize while attempting to tow it, which HCG denies.[15][16] The HCG said it was caused by a "commotion" on the vessel.[15] When the Adriana capsized and sank shortly after 2:00 AM (EEST), the only vessel present was the HCG vessel ΠΠΛΣ-920[13] manned by a team that included four armed special operations coast guards wearing masks.[15]
The European Ombudsman is investigating accusations that European Union (EU) border protection agency, Frontex, and the HCG did not take preventative steps to avoid the shipwreck.[19] By a year after the disaster, both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had criticized the slow progress of official investigations.[26][27]
- ^ a b "Greece finds no more survivors of migrant boat disaster with hundreds missing". NBC News. Kalamata, Greece. Associated Press. 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Οργή και θλίψη, ενώ σβήνουν οι ελπίδες για άλλους επιζώντες" [Rage and grief, while hope fades for other survivors]. Efimerida ton Syntakton (in Greek). 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
Στο μεταξύ οι έρευνες που συνεχίστηκαν αδιάκοπα όλο το προηγούμενο 24ωρο ήταν άκαρπες και ο επίσημος απολογισμός παραμένει 78 νεκροί και 104 διασωθέντες.
[In the meantime, the searches that continued uninterrupted throughout the previous 24 hours were fruitless and the official tally remains 78 dead and 104 rescued.] - ^ "Ναυάγιο στην Πύλο: Ανασύρθηκε άλλη μία σορός - Στους 82 οι νεκροί" [Shipwreck in Pylos: Another body recovered - The death toll is 82] (in Greek). AMNA. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Smith_Henley_20230615was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "At least 209 Pakistanis among victims of Greece boat wreck". Al Jazeera. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Jullien, Maud; Martín, María (30 June 2023). "Survivors of the shipwreck in the Mediterranean accuse Greek authorities: 'The Coast Guard towed us at high speed, and we capsized'". El País. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WaPo_Mapping_20230705was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Niarchos, Nicolas (26 June 2023). "Why Hundreds Drowned Off the Coast of Greece". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Dawn_20230624was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ναυάγιο στην Πύλο: "Δεν έχουμε ξαναζήσει τέτοια τραγωδία στη χώρα μας" see" [Shipwreck in Pylos: "We have never experienced such a tragedy in our country"]. Kathimerini. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b Haq, Sana Noor; Labropoulou, Elinda (16 June 2023). "Relatives searching for loved ones after Greek migrant boat disaster, as hundreds more feared dead". CNN. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Aza, Hibai Arbide; Martín, María (19 June 2023). "Greece imposes silence around shipwreck of overcrowded migrant boat". EL PAÍS English. Mitilene and Madrid. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Collective (6 July 2023). "Under the unwatchful eye of the authorities' deactivated cameras: dying in the darkest depths of the Mediterranean". Solomon. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bbcnewswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
NYT01072023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "Forensis". counter-investigations.org. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Gatopoulos_Paphitis_20230617was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
nytimeswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "EU watchdog to investigate Frontex's role in deadly Adriana shipwreck". Euronews. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Smith_20230618was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Greece boat disaster: BBC investigation casts doubt on coastguard's claims". BBC News. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Ναυάγιο στην Πύλο: Τα στίγματα διαψεύδουν το Λιμενικό - Το αλιευτικό ήταν 11 ώρες στο ίδιο σημείο" [Shipwreck in Pylos: The locations disprove the Coast Guard - The fishing boat was in the same spot for 11 hours]. www.news247.gr (in Greek). 18 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Fallon, Katy; Christides, Giorgos; Busch, Julian; Emmanouilidou, Lydia (10 July 2023). "Greek shipwreck: hi-tech investigation suggests coastguard responsible for sinking". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Über 600 Tote: Rekonstruktion einer Katastrophe | STRG_F [Over 600 dead: reconstruction of a catastrophe], retrieved 10 July 2023
- ^ Isabella Crispino (15 January 2024). "How They Did It: Investigating the Pylos Shipwreck". gijn.org. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "Greece: 6 Months On, No Justice for Pylos Shipwreck". Amnesty International. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Greece: On Pylos Shipwreck Anniversary, Still No Justice". Human Rights Watch. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
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