New revelations on sunken migrant boat contradict Greek authorities’ account

ATHENS (AA): New revelations by both local and international media contradict Greek authorities’ account of last week’s migrant boat accident off southwestern Greece which led to the deaths of at least 78 migrants, including many children, with hundreds more missing and unlikely to be found.

According to the log of the Greek Coast Guard boat which was in the area, it was in contact with the migrant vessel as early as 2 pm local time on Tuesday, June 13, many hours before its overnight sinking.

No action was taken, according to the initial statement of the coast guard, dated Wednesday, June 14, because the vessel refused its help.

Moreover, it said, two attempts by commercial ships to provide food and water to the vessel were also rejected.

The people on the boat continued to insist that they wanted to continue their way to Italy, the statement added.

Ilias Siakandaris, the spokesman of Greece’s caretaker government, repeated this initial line of argument, saying the vessel had refused help and wanted to continue its way to Italy.

However, on June 15, when main opposition SYRIZA party leader Alexis Tsipras visited Kalamata, where survivors of the shipwreck were being held, some told him that in fact a coast guard boat had thrown a rope to the migrant vessel.

Speaking to daily Kathimerini on June 16, a coast guard officer whose name was not disclosed said they tried to tow the vessel with the help of a rope as it was dangerously overcrowded.

The same day, the coast guard said in a statement that they threw a rope to the vessel to check on conditions aboard the ship, but maintained that the vessel refused the help and continued on its way.

But unfolding revelations continue to disprove the Greek authorities’ claims.

Facts kept hidden for days

News outlet Efsyn has reported that the Greek Coast Guard Command’s Search and Rescue Center was aware that the migrant boat was rocking dangerously due to overcrowding on all decks.

Despite a warning from the Faithful Warrior oil tanker, which earlier tried to help the migrant boat that the vibration of propellers could cause the overcrowded migrant boat to have an accident, the coast guard boat approached the boat anyway.

Notably, the Greek Coast Guard failed to publicly disclose this until Friday, days after the accident.

Another Greek news outlet, news247, revealed that the migrant boat moved only a few miles after its encounter with the coast guard boat.

That is to say, it did not continue its way to Italy, contradicting claims by Greek authorities.

This argument was later confirmed by the BBC. The boat indeed was stable for hours before it sank, and was not moving towards Italy.

Furthermore, German broadcaster WDR, citing the testimonies of some survivors, argued that it was an effort by the Greek Coast Guard boat to tow the migrant boat that led to the deadly incident.

The coast guard boat tried to tow the migrant boat from Greek waters to Italian waters, it claimed.