Oct 19 (Reuters) – Six migrants, including an infant, died after a speedboat carrying people from Turkey collided with a Greek coast guard vessel before overturning off the island of Lesvos early on Monday, Greek authorities said, as the government vowed “zero tolerance” towards migrant smugglers.
The accident occurred about 3.5 nautical miles south of Agrilia, Lesvos. The coast guard said rescuers recovered the bodies of four men, one woman and an infant, while eight people survived and were taken to hospital.
Authorities arrested a 37-year-old Turkish national who was among the survivors and identified him as the suspected smuggler and operator of the boat.
Greece’s shipping minister Vassilis Kikilias blamed migrant traffickers for the deaths and said evidence so far indicated the speedboat struck the left side of a coast guard vessel with its bow, adding that the exact circumstances were under investigation.
“Our position is non-negotiable: zero tolerance for smugglers,” he said in a post on X.
Greece has long been a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
In 2015-16, it was at the frontline of Europe’s migration crisis and nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, mainly from Turkey.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Antonis Pothitos; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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