At least 15 migrants have died after a speedboat carrying foreign nationals collided with a Greek coastguard patrol vessel off the island of Chios late on Tuesday.
Greek authorities said the speedboat was attempting dangerous manoeuvres during a pursuit in the Chios Strait near Vrontados when it struck the patrol boat, capsized and sank.
Twenty-four people were rescued, several with serious injuries, while others remain missing. Survivors told Greek media they were mostly Afghan.
The coastguard said the speedboat had been travelling without navigation lights and ignored light and sound signals, instead reversing course and colliding with the patrol boat.
All passengers were thrown into the sea. Searches continued on Wednesday involving coastguard vessels, civilian divers and a helicopter, while the navy placed the area under Greek search-and-rescue co-ordination.
Local media reported that the injured included seven children, a pregnant woman and two coastguard officers.
Those rescued were taken to Skylitseio Hospital, where one woman later died. Several patients underwent emergency surgery for severe internal injuries, while others were treated for hypothermia, head injuries and fractures.
Two pregnant women were also among those injured, with doctors reporting no cardiac activity in the foetuses. Some patients remain in intensive care.
The coastguard said 14 bodies had been recovered so far, identified as 11 men and three women, and post-mortem examinations are under way as authorities investigate the incident.
The tragedy comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Greece’s handling of migrant crossings following the Pylos shipwreck in June 2023, when hundreds died after an overcrowded fishing boat sank.