BBC report questions Greek coastguard account of boat disaster

By Nathan Morley

When details emerged of the fate of the Adriana, a trawler carrying migrants which sank off the coast of Greece on 14 June, it was described as one of the worst ever disasters in the Mediterranean.

Now, after a detailed investigation, the BBC reports that two survivors described how the coastguard pressed them to identify nine Egyptians on board as traffickers.

A new video of the overcrowded boat foundering at sea also challenges the Greek coastguard's account.

But two survivors of the disaster say migrants were silenced and intimidated by Greek authorities, after suggesting the coastguards may have been to blame for the tragedy.

The actions of the Greek coastguard have been in question since the incident.

Some survivors claim that their boat capsized only after a disastrous decision by the Greek coastguard.

Deadly disaster

In early July, one Syrian survivor described how he and other passengers screamed “Stop!” when the Greek coastguard vessel attached a rope to the bow of the trawler and began to pull it while picking up speed.

Soon after, the migrant boat tilted form side-to-side before flipping upside down, and sinking.

In addition to the 78 people killed in the disaster, the United Nations estimates up to 500 people remain missing. Most of the 750 passengers were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan.

Remarkably, a total of 104 survivors were recovered from the sea.

The United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR say that so far this year, 72,778 refugees have arrived in Europe from the south, including 71,136 arrivals by sea to Italy, Greece, Spain, Malta and Cyprus.