One migrant killed, five injured in crash with coast guard vessel
One person was killed and five were injured in the eastern Aegean when the inflatable boat they were in crashed into the side of a Greek Coast Guard vessel that was pursuing them, Greek authorities said on Saturday.
The incident took place in the sea off the island of Symi on Friday night.
According to the Coast Guard, authorities spotted the inflatable boat sailing at high speed and without navigation lights towards the islet of Nimos. During pursuit, the driver of the boat jumped overboard to avoid capture, causing the vessel to crash into the left side of a patrol boat and the people onboard to fall into the sea.
The Coast Guard rescued 18 people, including a minor, while the vessel sank.
The driver of the migrant boat was arrested. Authorities said the other passengers said they had each paid 4,000 US dollars to be transported from Datça, Turkey, to Greece.
