Greece’s state ombudsman mentioned Thursday that it is launching an impartial investigation into the coast guard’s dealing with of a maritime tragedy in June through which tons of of migrants attempting to achieve Europe in an overloaded boat are feared to have drowned.
The impartial authority mentioned it took the choice following “the expressed denial” of the Greek coast guard to provoke a disciplinary investigation in response to the ombudsman’s written requests.
The Council of Europe, the continent’s most vital human rights group, welcomed the transfer.
RESCUE SHIPS SEARCH FOR HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS OFF COAST OF GREECE FOLLOWING SHIPWRECK
The council’s human rights commissioner, Dunja Mijatović, mentioned an impartial probe to determine what occurred and, if essential, result in the punishment of these accountable, is “of paramount significance.”
“The initiative taken as we speak by the Greek Ombudsman establishment is a vital contribution to this effort,” she mentioned in a press release.
A navy courtroom with jurisdiction over Greece’s navy and coast guard can be conducting a preliminary investigation into the June 14 shipwreck, from which 104 survivors and 78 our bodies had been recovered.
The Greek flag is photographed forged in opposition to a transparent sky. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto through Getty Photos)
As much as 750 folks had been believed to have been on the rusty fishing vessel, principally beneath decks, when it sharply listed and shortly sank within the evening. That may make it one of many worst disasters of its variety within the Mediterranean.
The courtroom can be dealing with a lawsuit by 40 survivors, who accuse the coast guard of failing to stop the shipwreck and lack of life.
18 MIGRANTS BELIEVED DEAD IN GREECE’S WILDFIRE-RAVAGED NORTHEAST
Activists and human rights teams have strongly criticized the coast guard for its dealing with of the operation, though a patrol boat escorted the trawler for hours and was current when it sank in deep waters 45 miles off southwestern Greece.
The coast guard mentioned that the sinking appeared to observe a mass motion of individuals on deck to at least one aspect, which tipped the overcrowded trawler over. It additionally mentioned the migrants, who had been attempting to get from Libya to Italy, had earlier refused help.
However some survivors mentioned that the ship foundered throughout a botched try to tow it — which the coast guard strongly denied.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The ombudsman mentioned there was a necessity for “absolute transparency” on how Greek authorities dealt with the operation.
#Greece #examine #dealing with #masscasualty #migrant #boat #wreck