At least 14 dead after migrant boat collides with Greek coastguard vessel

At least 14 migrants have died after a speedboat carrying them collided with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel off the coast of the Greek island of Chios late on Tuesday.

Greek authorities said the speedboat was making dangerous manoeuvres and was being pursued at the time of the collision in the Chios Strait, near the village of Vrontades, News.Az reports, citing BBC.

Twenty-four people were rescued, some suffering serious injuries, while others were reported missing.

The coast guard has not yet clarified the precise circumstances that led to the crash. A search and rescue operation continued into Tuesday night, involving four coastguard vessels, a privately owned boat carrying civilian divers, and a helicopter.

Greek state broadcaster ERT reported that the injured included seven children, a pregnant woman, and two coastguard officers.

Initially, four deaths were confirmed. However, an update issued at 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT) said ten additional bodies had been recovered, raising the confirmed death toll to 14.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev