Weeks after the deadly boat tragedy in Greece that killed over 600 people, most of whom were migrants, doubts have been cast on the Greek coastguard's account of the migrant shipwreck with some survivors claiming that the coastguard's action led to the tragic sinking of the boat. Some survivors were also intimidated by the coast guard to identify nine Egyptians on board as traffickers.
According to reports, about 750 men, women and children were on the packed boat Adriana when it capsized on June 14, killing hundreds. Many are still feared to be missing. Most of those on board were Pakistanis. Weeks after the incident, media reports detailing survivors' accounts of the tragedy has raised questions on Greece authorities' handling of the incident.
Coast guard's claims
Survivors claimed that the tragic end was precipitated by the actions of the Greek coastguard. At least six statements of survivors recounted a disastrous coastguard towing attempt, according to a report by Reuters. The statements of the six witnesses clash with the public statements given by the Greek coastguard and government, which have said no attempt was made to tow the boat and that it overturned when the coastguard was about 70 metres away, the report noted.
In another shocking revelation, BBC's analysis of the movement of other ships in the area suggests the overcrowded fishing vessel was not moving for at least seven hours before it capsized.
"The scale of the animated map suggests it travelled less than a few nautical miles, which may be expected of a stricken vessel buffeted by the wind and the waves in the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea. The actions of people in distress, rocking the vessel, would also have contributed any movement," BBC said in its report. However, Greek officials have maintained that the vessel was not in trouble and was instead safely on its way to Italy and so the coastguard didn't attempt a rescue.
Greek Coast Guard 'intimidated' survivors
Some survivors alleged that the coastguard pressed them to identify nine Egyptians on board as traffickers. "Two survivors of the disaster say migrants were silenced and intimidated by Greek authorities, after suggesting the coastguards may have been to blame for the tragedy," the BBC investigation found. They were allegedly asked to "shut up" when they started to talk about how the Greek authorities had caused the disaster.
Media reports also point out towards the discrepancies found between survivors' witness statements taken by the coastguards, and the in-person evidence later presented to a judge. An initial statement by a witness to the coast guard detailed their experience: "A coast guard ship came to help and suddenly the ship capsized and we were in the water. Then they rescued us with an inflatable boat."
The same witness later told a judge: "The Greek Ship tied a rope to the front of our ship and began to pull us slowly, but the rope broke. The second time they tied it up, at first we felt like we were being pulled, then our ship keeled over. The Greek Ship sped up and we shouted in English Stop!", according to a report by BBC.
Coast guard denies claims
On June 15, a coastguard spokesperson, responding to media reports that cited some survivors who said the trawler was towed, publicly denied that a coastguard vessel had attached a rope to the Adriana at any time. However, a day later, the coastguard amended its account, saying that its vessel had attached a rope to the Adriana to help it draw nearer to communicate. The coastguard denied it had subsequently tried to tow the trawler, saying it had kept its distance.
The tragic incident also comes at a time when European countries and Britain are tightening their borders to curb illegal immigration.
