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Naval Ccourt charges 17 crew members of patrol boat over deadly Pylos shipwreck

The commander of the 'LS 920' along with 16 more crew members has been charged by the Piraeus Naval Court with causing the trawler 'Adriana' to capsize, which led to death of up to 650 people on June 14, 2023, in international waters within the Greek SAR zone near the town of Pylos. At least 82 bodies were recovered from the disaster, though up to 650 were feared dead. Hundreds of people, including women and children, were missing after being trapped below deck. Only 104 of an estimated 750 occupants had survived. Survivors of the shipwreck told media that a botched attempt by Greek coastguard to tow the vessel had caused it to capsize. The deputy prosecutor of the Piraeus Naval Court indicted 17 Hellenic Coast Guard members, including the captain of the 'LS-920'. The captain faces charges of “causing a shipwreck”, “dangerous interference of maritime transport” and “failure to provide assistance”. Other crew members were charged with “complicity” in acts committed by the captain. Reports by rights groups and watchdogs, based on survivors’ testimonies, pointed to the role of the Hellenic Coast Guard in precipitating the wreck, by first delaying its rescue response and then attempting to tow the 'Adriana'. The patrol vessel attached a rope to the fishing boat and moved off quickly, causing it to flip. Once the survivors had reached land, they were told to keep quiet about how events had unfolded. In February, leaked audio recordings revealed that Greek rescue coordinators instructed the captain of the 'Adriana' to tell an approaching ship that those on board did not want to go to Greece - contradicting the Coastguard’s account of the incident. The Coastguard has maintained that the people aboard were not at risk and did not request assistance and insisted they wanted to go to Italy and not Greece. The 17 men are set to be questioned in the coming weeks by the naval court’s deputy prosecutor. The court will then decide whether a full trial will go ahead, or if the charges will be dismissed. Reports with photos: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/greek-court-charges-17-coastguards-over-deadly-2023-pylos-shipwreck https://www.proasyl.de/news/pylos-chronik-einer-vermeidbaren-katastrophe/ https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1261695/ombudsman-report-reveals-coastguard-failures-in-pylos-shipwreck-response-including-missing-communication-logs/ https://sea-watch.org/gemeinsames-statement-zum-staatsverbrechen-von-pylos/

Investigation concluded that migrant tragedy may have been caused by towing manoever

On June 14, 2023, the fishing vessel 'Adriana', carrying hundreds of refugees sank off the Greek port town of Pylos. About 600 people drowned. An investigation has now concluded that the 'Adriana' had been towed by the 'LS 920' of the Greek Coastguard to Italian territorial waters when it capsized. A research team interviewed 26 survivors, assessed available court records and reviewed the logbooks of the ships involved. The patrol boat reached the 'Adriana', which had just received water, food and fuel from the tanker 'Faithful Warrior', on June 13 at 10:40 p.m. The fully overloaded Adriana was already listing dangerously at the time, and an immediate rescue action should have been initiated. The 'Adriana' had been drifting for hours with a broken compass and lack of fuel, pushed only by the current. But after the arrival of the Greek coastguard, she resumed moving at constant speed towards Italy. Survivors reported that the Coast Guard preceded them, saying an Italian Coast Guard vessel was already waiting for them. Around 1:40 a.m. on June 14, the 'Adriana' stopped; apparently the engine had failed again. It then moved a few hundred meters to the east, which could not be explained by wind or current. After the repeated engine damage, masked men from the Greek Coast Guard ship boarded the vessel and tied a rope to the bow. The Coastguard vessel had left Chania in Crete and, according to the logbook, picked up a four-member KEA team stationed in Chania, which is a military unit specializing in dangerous operations at sea. The Coast Guard stated they attached the rope to stabilize the 'Adriana'. Shortly after attaching the towline, the ship capsized. Two survivors, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of Greek authorities, stated: “They fixed a rope from the left. Everyone went to the right side of our boat to rebalance it. The Greek ship quickly moved away and rocked our boat. They took it with them for a long time." Another survivor told the Guardian that Greek soldiers tied the rope and they pulled the 'Adriana' for around 10 minutes. “I felt like they were trying to push us out of Greek waters to end their responsibility. Other survivors said the Adriana suddenly moved forward “like a rocket” with the engine not running. The fact that the version of the Greek Coast Guard does not correspond to the actual course of events is also highlighted by the testimony of survivors before the investigating judge examining the sinking of the 'Adriana'. According to this testimony, the statements recorded and published by the Coastguard were made under pressure and manipulated. Survivors told that they were intimidated by the Coastguard. The boat was first spotted by the Italian authorities at 6:51 a.m., according to an internal Frontex document. Frontex had previously claimed to have learned of the existence of the overloaded vessel only at 9:47 a.m. thanks to a reconnaissance drone. In fact, at 8:51 a.m., the MRCC in Rome alerted Frontex and the control center in Piraeus, from where the Greek Coast Guard rescue operations are coordinated. The information would also have reported the death of two children on board the trawler However, it took hours for the Greek Coast Guard vessel to leave Crete, despite other ship were located much closer, in Kalamata, Pylos or Patras. The Greek authorities, however, were clearly more concerned about boarding KEA personnel stationed in Chania, in order to steer the vessel away from Greek waters. No real rescue operation was therefore considered at any time. Since then, the Greek Coast Guard has confirmed that they were informed early by the Italian authorities. Greece's new immigration minister, Dimitris Kairidis, told Brussels that an "independent judicial investigation" was underway. If someone is found guilty, there would “certainly be consequences. In the meantime, we must not jump to conclusions or give in to political pressure.” Frontex has launched its own formal investigation into the sinking. At the same time, the European Commission continued to support the investigations carried out by the Greek authorities. These, however, focused on the nine Egyptians arrested after the sinking, who were said to have steered the 'Adriana' and distributed water and food. They are accused of belonging to a network of smugglers and of having caused the capsizing of the vessel. If found guilty, they face life in prison. Survivors told that the Coastguard forced them to name these nine people as masterminds and smugglers. Report with photo: https://www.wsws.org/fr/articles/2023/07/21/qjgr-j21.html

Commander of patrol boat states that he provided assistance to troubled migrant boat

The protocol of the commander of the Greek Coast Guard patrol boat 'PPLS 920-ΥΠΟΚΕΛΕΥΣΤΗΣ' that came to assist the fishing boat 'Adriana' that sank with hundreds of people on board on June 14 en route to Italy indicated that the migrant ship repeatedly had refused the help offered despite its precarious situation. After the shipwreck, 104 survivors were rescued and 78 bodies were recovered, but it is feared that there are hundreds missing since up to 700 people could have traveled aboard the ship. According to the information provided by the commander, the patrol boat received information on June 13, 2023, at 3 p.m. from the GreekMRCC about a ship in trouble. The vessel was located by a freighter at 11:00 p.m. and the Greek patrol boat approached the fishing vessel at 11:40 p.m. and offered assistance: "At 11:40 p.m. we approached at a distance of 200 meters. We reported that we had come to assist and provide the assistance that is required." However, he did not receive any kind of response from the boat, so the patrol boat followed the fishing boat at a safe distance. Minutes later, at 11:45 p.m., the fishing vessel stopped moving, so the patrol boat came closer to try to carry out a visual inspection and offer assistance. At 11:50 p.m., the patrol boat dropped a line onto the bow of the crowded fishing boat. ”After mooring with the bow of the fishing boat, voices in English were heard saying 'No Help', 'We go to Italy' and, despite repeated calls for assistance, they ignored it and around 11:57 p.m. they untied the rope that we had given them,” the protocol stated. "They restarted the boat's engine and moved west at low speed." The patrol boat reported what happened to the control center and followed the fishing boat at a safe distance of about 200 meters. On June 14 at 1:40 a.m. the boat stopped again, and the patrol boat began to approach at low speed to verify the situation. ”Being at a distance of 70 meters, I realized that the ship had started to tilt a lot, while there was a lot of noise and shouting among the passengers. In less than a minute the boat capsized," concluded the captain of the Coast Guard vessel. In recent days, NGOs and the Greek opposition have criticized the actions of the Coastguard, considering that they did not intervene in time to prevent the tragedy. Some media have cited survivors who claimed that the coast guard would have caused the sinking by trying to tow the fishing boat, something that the Greek authorities and the patrol boat's own protocol deny. The rescue operation was continued for the fifth day, although the hopes of finding someone alive were almost nil. Reports with photos: https://www.hcg.gr/el/drasthriothtes/synexeia-enhmerwshs-anaforika-me-eyreia-epixeirhsh-ereynas-kai-diaswshs-allodapwn-se-die8nh-ydata-sth-8alassia-perioxh-47-nm-notiodytika-pyloy__/ https://www.documentonews.gr/article/h-prothesi-kai-to-egklima/ https://twitter.com/SARwatchMED/status/1669683843333255172