Greek coastguard fires on migrant boat, one dead

A 39-year-old migrant was found dead on Friday (23 August) after the Greek coastguard opened fire on a vessel carrying migrants off the island of Symi in the eastern Aegean Sea, authorities said.

In a statement, the coastguard said the man died "probably from a bullet" and that shots were fired at the outboard engine of the migrant boat in an effort to immobilise it after it ignored warnings to stop.

An investigation has been launched, a coastguard official told Reuters, without elaborating. A source with knowledge of the inquiry said a Greek prosecutor had also ordered the arrest of the coastguard officer who fired the shots and the confiscation of that weapon.

The boat, carrying 14 migrants - eight men, one woman and five minors - had left Turkey’s nearby shores and illegally entered Greek territorial waters, the coastguard said.

When it was located by a coastguard patrol, the boat increased speed and did not respond to visual and audio warnings, the coastguard said. It then performed dangerous manoeuvres, approaching the coastguard vessel and putting the lives of coastguard crew members at risk, it added.

"Warning shots were fired to prevent an immediate risk to the coastguard vessel and its crew ... and subsequently targeted shots were fired at the outboard engine aimed at immobilising the speedboat," the coastguard statement said.

The dead migrant was believed to be from Kuwait. Two men were arrested on suspicion of people smuggling.

Greece has been a favoured gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia since 2015, when nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, causing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Thousands of others have died at sea.