ATHENS: Greek authorities have ordered the detention of a Moroccan national suspected of piloting a migrant boat involved in a fatal collision with a coastguard vessel.
The nighttime crash off the island of Chios near the Turkish coast on Tuesday resulted in 15 deaths among the asylum seekers.
Twenty-four survivors, including the Moroccan suspect, were hospitalised with injuries on Chios.
A Greek court ordered his detention late on Saturday, which is expected to be enforced in the coming days.
The suspect’s lawyers, quoted by Greek press, deny he was at the helm of the migrant boat.
Six children from the vessel, some with multiple fractures, were transferred to a paediatric hospital in Athens on Saturday.
The director of Chios hospital stated most of those on board were Afghans.
Greece’s migration ministry claims the accident occurred as the migrant boat tried to evade authorities.
However, Greek media and opposition parties have questioned the collision details.
They have specifically asked why the patrol boat’s thermal camera was not switched on during the incident.
None of the survivors have yet provided testimony regarding the crash circumstances.
Rights groups and international media have repeatedly accused Greece of illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers into Turkish waters.
These allegations are often supported by video evidence and witness testimonies.