Tragedy in Chios: 15 Migrants Dead After Coast Guard Collision as Greece's Deadly Migration Record Grows
At least 15 migrants died and dozens were injured Tuesday evening when a Greek Coast Guard patrol boat collided with a speedboat carrying migrants near the eastern Aegean island of Chios, authorities confirmed Wednesday morning.
The incident, which occurred in the waters off Mersinidi on the island's eastern coast, adds to a growing list of deadly migrant disasters in Greek waters over the past two years and has renewed scrutiny of Greece's controversial border enforcement practices.
The Latest Tragedy
According to an official statement from the Hellenic Coast Guard, a patrol vessel conducting routine operations spotted an inflatable speedboat carrying migrants traveling without navigation lights toward Chios. When crew members attempted to signal the vessel to stop using lights and sound signals, the speedboat's operator allegedly reversed course, resulting in a collision with the patrol boat's starboard side.
The impact caused the migrant vessel to capsize and sink, throwing all passengers into the sea.
The death toll stands at 15 — eleven men and four women — with 24 others hospitalized at Skylitseio Hospital in Chios. Among those receiving treatment are seven men, six women, and twelve children (eight girls and four boys). Three patients required emergency surgery for injuries to vital organs.
In a particularly tragic development, two pregnant women among the survivors were found to be carrying deceased fetuses and are scheduled for surgery.
Two Coast Guard personnel — one male and one female — sustained minor injuries. The male officer has been discharged, while his female colleague remains under observation.
Circumstances Under Investigation
The exact circumstances of the collision remain unclear and are under investigation by the Central Port Authority of Chios. While the Coast Guard maintains that the migrant vessel initiated the collision after failing to comply with signals, the precise sequence of events has not been independently verified.
Search and rescue operations, coordinated by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center, involved four Coast Guard patrol vessels, a private boat with civilian divers, and two Hellenic Air Force helicopters. A Coast Guard helicopter has since joined ongoing efforts to locate any additional missing persons.
International Attention and Criticism
International news agencies, including Reuters and the Associated Press, quickly picked up the story, with coverage highlighting Greece's broader migration policies and ongoing investigations into the country's treatment of asylum seekers.
Reuters noted that Greece "has hardened its stance toward migrants" since 2019, with the center-right government reinforcing border controls through fencing and maritime patrols. The agency also referenced ongoing EU investigations into 12 cases of alleged human rights violations by Greece, including claims of illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers.
Greek authorities deny any human rights violations or forcible returns of asylum seekers from its borders.
A Pattern of Tragedy: Recent Migrant Disasters in Greek Waters
The Chios collision is the latest in a series of deadly incidents involving migrants attempting to reach Greek shores. The following is a chronology of major disasters since mid-2023:
2025
December 29, 2025 — Off Samos (Eastern Aegean)
A small migrant boat sank near Samos, killing one woman with three others reported missing. Approximately 20-30 people were rescued in an operation involving coastguard vessels, a helicopter, a private boat, and land teams.
December 6, 2025 — South of Chrysi Island, near Crete
An inflatable boat capsized approximately 26-30 nautical miles south of the small island of Chrysi. At least 17-18 migrants died, with only two survivors pulled from the water. The incident was described as Greece's worst shipwreck in two years.
2024
December 14, 2024 — Off Gavdos, South of Crete
A migrant boat sank off the island of Gavdos, initially leaving at least five dead and approximately 40 missing. Thirty-nine people were rescued in a large air-sea operation involving Greek assets and an Italian frigate.
November 25, 2024 — Off Samos (Eastern Aegean)
A shipwreck near Samos claimed at least eight lives, including six children. Thirty-nine survivors were rescued, with 36 found on Samos and three pulled from a rocky area. It was the second migrant shipwreck in the Aegean that month.
September 23, 2024 — Off Samos (Eastern Aegean)
A small boat traveling from Turkey sank off Samos, killing at least four people — three women and a girl. Five survivors were rescued from the sea, while 26 others were found on land.
2023
June 14, 2023 — Pylos, Messenia (Ionian Sea)
The deadliest migrant disaster in recent Greek history occurred when the overloaded fishing trawler Adriana, carrying an estimated 400-750 people from Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, and Afghanistan, capsized in international waters approximately 47 nautical miles southwest of the Peloponnese.
Only 104 people survived. Eighty-two bodies were recovered, with more than 500 people officially listed as missing — making it one of the worst maritime disasters in the Mediterranean in a decade.
The incident sparked significant legal and political fallout. A Greek naval tribunal has charged 17 Coast Guard personnel in connection with the disaster. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have criticized the investigation's pace, noting that inquiries into the Coast Guard's role remained at a preliminary stage a full year after the tragedy.
Survivors and witnesses have alleged that the vessel capsized following a failed attempt by the Coast Guard to tow it — claims Greek authorities dispute.
Mounting Pressure on Greek Migration Policy
The succession of deadly incidents has intensified scrutiny of Greece's approach to migration. While arrivals have decreased compared to the 2015-2016 migration crisis peak, human rights organizations continue to document allegations of pushbacks — the practice of forcing migrants back across borders without allowing them to apply for asylum.
The European Union's border agency, Frontex, confirmed last year that it was examining 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greek authorities. Greece maintains that it operates within legal boundaries and denies all allegations of systematic pushbacks.
As search operations continue off Chios Wednesday morning, with five patrol vessels and a Coast Guard helicopter combing the waters for possible additional victims, pressure is mounting for a transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to yet another tragedy in the Aegean.
Photo: Efimerida ton Syntakton