Survivors of Tragic Migrant Shipwreck Sue Greek Authorities for Failing to Protect Lives

On Thursday, survivors of a tragic shipwreck off the coast of Greece in June, in which hundreds of people lost their lives, filed a lawsuit against the Greek authorities. They accused the authorities of breaching their duty to protect the lives of everyone on board the vessel.

The vessel, an overcrowded fishing trawler carrying between 400 to 750 individuals from Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt, sank in international waters off Greece while en route from Libya to Italy. Out of the vast number of passengers, only 104 men managed to survive, and authorities were able to recover only 82 bodies.

Survivors have shared harrowing accounts of the appalling conditions they experienced both above and below deck. They described being deprived of food and water while recounting a tragic attempt by the Greek coast guard to tow the vessel, which ultimately led to its capsizing. These testimonies are supported by interviews and evidence that Reuters has reviewed.

While the Greek coast guard and government claim they had been monitoring the vessel for several hours, they assert that no attempt was made to tow the boat before it tragically overturned, despite the coastguard being merely 70 meters away.

Currently, a judicial investigation is underway to determine the causes of the disaster. However, completing the investigation could potentially take more than a year.