One person died and five others were injured in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Greece aboard a rubber dinghy, Greek authorities announced on Saturday.
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A migrant was killed, and five injured, in a collision in the Aegean Sea between the inflatable boat on which they were trying to reach Greece and a Greek coast guard patrol boat which was pursuing them, the Greek authorities announced on Saturday June 1. The collision took place Friday evening off the island of Symi, in the southeast Aegean, near the Turkish coast.
Saccording to the press release from the Greek coast guard, two patrol boats spotted the boat on Friday evening and “came closer [pour] tried to stop it using sound and light signals, in vain”. They say the pilot of the inflatable boat jumped overboard to avoid arrest, causing a collision with one of the patrol boats. The coast guard rescued 18 people, including a minor, as the migrants’ boat sank. First aid was provided to five migrants, while a sixth, unconscious, was resuscitated.
The victims were transported to the Symi health center where “Unfortunately the death of one of the injured was noted.” The driver of the boat was arrested. The passengers claimed to have each paid 4,000 USD (nearly 3,700 euros) to be transported from Datça, Turkey, to the Greek coast.
