Hot pursuit of a speedboat with illegal immigrants in Samos – The traffickers threw them into the sea, one dead

On Tuesday morning (17/9), the Samos Port Authority was informed of the presence of a speedboat with foreigners on board, which was moving towards the northwest coast of the island. A Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat rushed to the area and spotted the vessel, attempting to immobilize it with sound and visual signals. However, the pilot of the speedboat did not comply and tried to escape, performing dangerous maneuvers that endangered the Coast Guard crew. After warning shots were fired, the vessel was immobilized and the two operators were arrested.

At the same time, the Samos Police Directorate located 27 foreigners on land, who had been thrown into the sea by the two traffickers before the chase and managed to get to shore. The rescued persons stated that there were other persons in the sea, which immediately mobilised forces of the Coast Guard, the Army and the Greek Rescue Team. After extensive searches, three more people were rescued and the body of a man was recovered.

A total of 30 foreigners (15 men, 7 women and 8 minors) were rescued, who were taken to the port of Karlovasos, while the body was transferred for autopsy to the General Hospital of Samos. The two arrested, Turkish nationals, are accused of illegal transportation of persons, disobedience and dangerous interference with traffic, while their boat was seized.

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