The crew of a Greek coast guard vessel opened fire on a speedboat smuggling migrants from Turkey, resulting in the death of one passenger, Greek authorities reported on Friday. The speedboat was carrying several people, including children.
According to a coast guard statement, the crew initially fired warning shots into the air before targeting the boat’s engine after the helmsman of the speedboat attempted to ram the Greek patrol boat in an effort to evade arrest.
The coast guard claimed that the actions were necessary to “avert the direct threat to the patrol boat and its crew.”
The incident occurred northwest of the island of Symi in the southeast Aegean Sea. The deceased passenger was identified as a 39-year-old man, though his nationality remains unknown.
The other 13 people on the speedboat—five children, seven men, and one woman—were unharmed and were taken to Symi.
The coast guard’s statement noted that the helmsman had ignored multiple commands to stop and engaged in “extremely dangerous maneuvers,” which ultimately led to the firing.
This incident comes as Greece continues to grapple with a significant number of migrants arriving illegally, primarily from Turkey but increasingly from Libya as well.
According to data from the United Nations refugee agency, nearly 30,000 migrants have entered Greece illegally so far this year.
