Illustrative photo / Ph. ERT ‹ › A Moroccan national was arrested in Greece on Wednesday after a migrant boat sank following a collision off the coast of the island of Chios, leaving 15 people dead. The 31-year-old man, who was rescued by the coast guard near Turkish waters, was identified by other survivors as the boat's smuggler. Greek media, quoting the director of the local hospital, reported that the victims' bodies were found on board the vessel, suggesting that the migrants struck the side of the coast guard boat during the collision. «Their heads and bodies hit it, and they then fell back into the inflatable boat», he said. The incident occurred when the migrant vessel collided with a Greek coast guard patrol. The suspect has been charged with facilitating illegal immigration, illegal entry into Greece, causing a shipwreck, and failing to comply with authorities. Search and rescue operations were carried out by five coast guard patrol boats, three land patrol vehicles, teams from the central port authority of Chios and the Kardamylon station, as well as a coast guard helicopter. So far, 22 people have been hospitalized, including women and children, along with an injured coast guard officer. Two children were taken to surgery, while three people remain in intensive care and may be transferred to a hospital in Athens.
