The collected data includes all publicly documented incidents in Greece in 2024 involving deaths or missing persons

RSA’s data was collected throught cross-checking publicly available data, primarily from official statements by the Greek and Turkish coastguards, as well as the UNHCR, reports in Greek and international media, and posts by the organisations Alarm Phone and Aegean Boat Report. The organisation also compared its report to the data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), specifically from the Missing Migrants Project, which records incidents involving deaths at borders or during migration.

The end of the year proved to be the deadliest, with nine incidents in November and December alone, resulting in 36 deaths and 41 reported as missing. It is also highlighted that “on the Turkish side of the Aegean, at least 42 deaths and 9 reported missing persons were recorded in 8 shipwreck incidents. While these figures are not exhaustive, due to our limited access to data from Turkey, it is estimated that a total of at least 171 people lost their lives or remain missing in the Aegean in 2024, across 35 refugee shipwrecks.”

According to the research findings:

“Of the 27 shipwrecks involving deaths or missing persons recorded in Greece, 12 occurred in the Northern Aegean, 11 in the Southern Aegean, and 4 in Crete. The accompanying map depicts the islands near which these shipwrecks were located. Notably, the majority of shipwrecks with fatalities or missing persons were recorded in the maritime areas of Samos (8), Rhodes (5) and Lesvos (3).”

 

“public allegations of violence by the Greek Coast Guard during pursuits, including the ramming of refugee boats”

The organisation also notes that there are documented instances of violence by the Greek Coast Guard during the pursuit and ramming of refugee boats, which require independent and thorough investigation. The report highlights the case of the recent shipwreck off the coast of Rhodes, on 20 December 2024, where:

“according to survivor testimonies, ‘a vessel of the Hellenic Coast Guard violently rammed a boat carrying 27 people (…),’ resulting in the violent death of 8 individuals, three of whom were recovered dismembered.”

Urgent reforms needed to prevent more deaths

The research concludes that large-scale shipwrecks have intensified.

“The absence of safe and legal pathways for people seeking asylum in the EU, combined with systematic deterrence practices at the EU’s external borders, in violation of fundamental legal principles, drives countless individuals to their deaths. A year and a half after the catastrophic shipwreck off Pylos, where over 600 people lost their lives, shipwrecks and deaths at the borders remain an almost daily occurrence. “

“A radical reform of European and Greek policies on asylum and migration is imperative. These policies must prioritize the safeguarding of refugees’ and migrants’ fundamental rights, in stark contrast to the “normalisation” of deaths in refugee shipwrecks. The first and essential step is ensuring safe and legal pathways so that those seeking asylum can travel securely. Simultaneously, the deceased, the missing, and their families are entitled to support and justice. It is vital to advocate for their cause and to put an end to the unjust deaths at the borders.”

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