At least 15 dead after migrant speedboat crashes into coastguard off Greek coast
The boat carrying migrants “manoeuvred toward” a coastguard vessel that had ordered it to turn back, an official said.
At least 15 people have died following a crash between a migrant speedboat and a coastguard vessel off the coast of Greece, authorities say.
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The bodies of 11 men and three women were recovered from the sea near the eastern Aegean island of Chios, according to coastguard officials. One woman later died in hospital, authorities added.
A search and rescue operation has been launched involving patrol boats, divers and a helicopter.
25 migrants, including 11 children, have been rescued and taken to a local hospital, officials said.
Two coastguard officers were also injured following the collision on Tuesday.
Footage from the aftermath shows at least one person being taken from a coastguard boat into a nearby vehicle, while two children are led towards the coastguard's car.
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An unnamed coastguard official told Reuters the crash occurred after the migrant boat “manoeuvred toward” a coastguard vessel that had ordered it to turn back.
Greece is a key entry point into the EU for migrants escaping conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
However, arrivals have dipped in recent years after Greece announced tighter asylum seeker and migrant policies, including stricter border controls and sea patrols.
Fatal accidents happen often on the dangerous crossing from the Turkish coast to Greek islands in the eastern Aegean.
The UN's migration agency says more than 33,000 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean Sea between 2014 and 2025 - making it the deadliest migration corridor on Earth.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants and refugees died after what witnesses claimed was the Greek coastguard’s attempt to tow a fishing boat carrying migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
The EU’s border agency said last year it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece, including claims that people seeking asylum were pushed back from Greece’s frontiers.
Greece strongly denies any human rights violations or driving asylum seekers away from its shores.