By Euronews
Published on
At least 15 people were killed Tuesday night after a coast guard vessel collided with a speedboat carrying migrants in the sea off the Greek island of Chios.
Out of the 25 people that were rescued, 24 including 11 children were hospitalised on the eastern Aegean island near Turkey.
One of the people rescued later died. Two coast guard officers were also lightly injured, the coast guard said.
It is unclear how many people were on the speedboat at the time of the incident, as the search for those missing continued on Wednesday.
Four coast patrol boats, two helicopters and divers began an overnight search that carried into the morning, with one helicopter and five patrol vessels still involved.
The Greek Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday that one of its patrol boats spotted a dinghy travelling toward Chios late Tuesday without navigation lights. Despite sound and visual signs by the patrol boat, the speedboat did not stop.
“Instead, the pilot (of the speedboat) turned around, and the boat then collided with the starboard side of the Coast Guard patrol boat,” the statement added, “the force of the impact caused the boat to capsize and sink”.
Greece is a key entry point into the European Union for migrants and refugees fleeing from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Along with other EU countries, Greece has recently toughened its stance on migration, with reinforced border and sea patrols.
While these measures have reduced crossing attempts, Greece has faced increased international scrutiny and criticism from human rights groups over its handling of illegal immigration, including allegations of pushbacks.
Last year, the EU’s border protection agency launched an investigation into a 2023 incident in which a boat sank off the country’s southern coast, killing hundreds.
More than 1,700 people died or went missing in 2025 on migration routes to Europe in the Mediterranean, and in the Atlantic off the coast of West Africa, the UN refugee agency said in November.
According to data gathered by the UN’s main migration organisation, the IOM, about 33,000 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014.