Greek lawyers demand further inquiry into 2023 shipwreck, which cost hundreds of lives

Hundreds of people are believed to have died when an overcrowded fishing boat that was carrying irregular migrants capsized in international waters just off the coastal Greek town of Pylos on June 14, 2023.

The incident was one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean Sea to date.

The Greek coastguard had monitored the ship for several hours before and during the sinking. Shortly after the incidents, survivors alleged that an attempt to tow the boat by coast guards caused the boat to sink — which the coastguard has denied.

The Adriana vessel had set off from Libya several days earlier with an assumed 700 migrants mainly from Pakistan, Egypt and Syria on board.

The exact death toll remains unknown, as many of the victims’ bodies are believed to have sunk with the boat. 82 bodies were recovered, but hundreds others remain missing. Only 104 people were rescued.

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Allegations of evidence being ignored

A local naval court opened a criminal investigation case into the event last year. Its preliminary results, however, appear to be inconclusive, according to the group of Greek lawyers who are representing the victims’ families.

“The case file contains serious gaps and omissions,” they said in a statement, highlighting among other things, the fact that the captain and the crew of the coastguard vessel which had been watching the migrant ship had been subpoenaed but not the coastguard officials in charge of them.

“The absence of any investigation into the responsibilities of the competent search and rescue bodies and the leadership of the Greek coastguard is deafening,” they said.

Furthermore, some important evidence has not been taken into account so far, such as a record of communications between all the officials involved in the operation at sea, according to the lawyers.

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Frontex report: Deaths could have been prevented

The probe has also previously attracted criticism from human rights groups. Some reports — including by EU border agency Frontex — have suggested that at least some of the deaths could have been prevented.

There has been no response to the allegations as under Greek law, prosecutors are not allowed to comment on ongoing investigations. Greece’s coastguard has denied any involvement in the sinking of the migrant boat.

The case has now been deferred from the Naval court to a chief prosecutor, who will get to decide if and how the probe will continue.

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with Reuters