A new report has alleged that Greek authorities played a role in the tragic sinking of a migrant boat carrying over 700 people, including many Pakistanis.
The vessel, Adriana, capsized on June 14, 2023, in international waters within Greece’s rescue zone.
According to leaked audio recordings obtained by a Greek news outlet, officials instructed the boat’s captain to inform an approaching rescue ship that the passengers did not want to land in Greece.
The recordings suggest that Greek authorities actively discouraged intervention, despite the vessel being in distress. The UN estimates that around 500 people lost their lives, with only 82 bodies recovered.
Survivors have also claimed that Greek coastguards attempted to manipulate testimonies by pressuring them to identify Egyptian passengers as human traffickers. However, the Greek coastguard has denied all allegations, stating that the migrants wanted to reach Italy instead.
One of the survivors, Usman Siddique, a policeman from Pakistan, recounted that a helicopter photographed the boat hours before it sank. A cargo ship later provided food and water but did not attempt a rescue.
He further alleged that the Greek coastguard towed the boat, causing it to tilt and break apart, leading to the mass drowning. Most of the victims were from Pakistani regions like Gujrat, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, and Azad Kashmir.