Greek coast guard detains two alleged smugglers after sea chase
Source: InfoMigrants: reliable and verified news for migrants – InfoMigrants
The Greek coast guard pursued a sea chase off the Turkish coast on Sunday with two suspected migrant smugglers traveling in a speedboat, during which shots were fired.
The chase took place off the island of Patmos in the south-eastern Aegean on Sunday (June 25) after the two suspected smugglers traveling in a speedboat had dropped 15 migrants off on Greek territory.
According to a statement by the coast guard, the pair had ignored several radio signals ordering them to stop. It was then that the coast guard opted to fire warning shots.
Their boat then reportedly ran aground between two rocky outcrops in Greek waters. The two individuals were detained as they attempted to return to Turkey, German news agency dpa reported.
Read more: Rising death toll at the gates of Europe is unacceptable, says UN
Migration rate on the rise again
In the summer months, the number of migrants trying to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece rises dramatically each year. So do the number of fatalities on this route.
On June 14, hundreds of migrants drowned as their overloaded fishing boat capsized off the southern Greek coast.
It was one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks recorded in the past 20 years. Only 82 bodies have been found so far, with dozens presumed dead or missing — in particular migrants from Pakistan. There were only 104 survivors.
Read more: Greece: Coast guard faces accusations after ship tragedy
with DPA
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