Greece's Merchant Marine Minister Resigns after Controversial Statements Over Ferry Passenger's Death

Miltiadis Varvitsiotis has resigned as Greece's merchant marine minister following the death of a ferry passenger who was allegedly pushed into the sea. Varvitsiotis caused outrage when he appeared to express sympathy for the crew members accused of the act.

The incident was captured on video and went viral, showing the passenger being stopped and pushed back by the crew before falling into the water.

Crew members of the ship #BlueHorizon are seen to push away a 36yo passenger that was late.
That led to the passenger losing his balance, falling in the sea and unfortunately, losing his life.
The incident took place tonight on the #Piraeus port, #Athens. pic.twitter.com/Y3StpNSKp8

— Greek City Times (@greekcitytimes) September 6, 2023

The ferry captain and three crew members are facing criminal charges in relation to the incident. After facing criticism, Varvitsiotis retracted his initial comments and apologized for any unintended offense caused.