15 dead after migrant boat, coastguard vessel collide

The incident occurred on Tuesday off the island of Chios, near the Turkish coast, during an operation to intercept the migrant vessel.

Coastguard details sequence of events

According to a statement from the Greek coastguard, the pilot of a high-speed boat carrying foreign passengers and travelling without navigation lights failed to respond to visual and audible signals from patrol officers.

Instead of stopping, the pilot turned the vessel, which then collided with the starboard side of the coastguard patrol boat. The authorities said the impact caused the migrant boat to capsize and sink.

Women and children among victims and survivors

Fourteen bodies, including three women, were recovered from the sea. Another woman who had been rescued later died of her injuries, raising the death toll to 15.

Rescuers also saved 11 children, who were taken to the hospital along with two injured coastguard officers.

Search operations continue

Rescue teams using five boats and a helicopter continued searching the area early Wednesday for additional survivors or victims, as the total number of people aboard the migrant boat remains unknown.

Large numbers of migrants attempt the Mediterranean crossing each year in the hope of reaching Europe. According to the UN refugee agency, more than 1,700 people died or went missing in 2025 on migration routes to Europe across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

The International Organisation for Migration estimates that around 33,000 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014.