Reports said a Coast Guard vessel, which had sailed from Oinousses, spotted the boat and signalled it to change course. The patrol vessel then collided with it under unclear circumstances.

Eleven men and four women were reported dead. Two foetuses, carried by two pregnant women among the injured who were taken to Chios hospital, were also found dead.

Local reports said 24 people were injured and are being treated at the same hospital: seven men, six women and 12 children (eight girls and four boys). Three people underwent surgery after sustaining injuries to vital organs, while two pregnant women were expected to undergo surgery after it was determined that the foetuses had died.

What the Coast Guard says

In a statement, the Hellenic Coast Guard said that, during a scheduled patrol in the evening, an inflatable patrol boat spotted an inflatable speedboat with foreign passengers travelling without navigation lights towards the eastern coast of Chios, in the Myrsinidio sea area.

The Coast Guard said the pilot of the speedboat did not comply with light and sound signals, reversed course, and the speedboat struck the starboard side of the patrol boat. It said the impact caused the speedboat to overturn and sink, throwing all occupants into the sea.

A search and rescue operation was launched under the coordination of the Coast Guard’s Unified Search and Rescue Coordination Center (EKSED). The Coast Guard said four patrol boats and a private boat carrying private divers took part, while two Hellenic Air Force helicopters attempted to assist from the air.

It said 25 people (seven men, seven women and 11 minors) were picked up injured and taken to the port, before being transferred to the Skylitseio hospital. One woman later died.

Two crew members of the Coast Guard patrol boat were also taken to hospital. The male officer has since been discharged, while the woman remains hospitalised for further tests.

The Coast Guard said 14 bodies (11 men and three women) were recovered by two patrol boats and transferred to the port and then to Skylitseio hospital for autopsy. It said the total death toll was 15 and that a preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Central Port Authority of Chios. Searches for any missing people were continuing.

Protest call: ‘No more dead in the Aegean’

The self-managed social space Antivaro has called a protest for today, Wednesday 4 February, at 6pm, at the KTEL bus station at the port of Chios.

‘At least 15 more lives were lost last night in the sea of Chios. We will never accept as normality the Aegean Sea filling up with dead people,’ it said, calling for an end to ‘the murderous policies of Brussels and Athens that create pushbacks and shipwrecks’, for humane and legal reception and living conditions for refugees and migrants, and condemnation of ‘the fascist mob that rejoices in the deaths of fellow human beings’.

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