Greek coast guard officials allegedly told passengers of a fishing trawler that sank off Pylos, Greece, on June 14 with some 750 migrants and refugees on board that they would lead them to Italy, several survivors have claimed.
According to multiple testimonies by migrants who survived the June 14 shipwreck off Pylos, in south-western Greece, the Greek coast guard allegedly told passengers aboard the overcrowded fishing vessel that they would be taken to Italian waters to be handed over to Italy's coast guard.
That's according to a joint investigation by British newspaper the Guardian, German public broadcaster ARD/NDR/Funk and Greek investigative outlet Solomon, in collaboration with research group Forensic Architecture, which produced a 3D model of the boat to recreate the incident in which hundreds of lives were lost, has unearthed new evidence.
Since the shipwreck, only 82 bodies have been retrieved while survivors were 104.
Over 20 survivors interviewed
The investigation is based on over 20 interviews with survivors. According to the joint expose, attempts by the Greek coast guard to tow the trawler may have caused the vessel to sink.
Two survivors used the 3D model to describe the alleged towing, while three others, who were seated inside or on the vessel's lower deck, described being propelled forward "like a rocket", but with the vessel's engine not operating, the Guardian reports.
The Greek coast guard has denied that it attempted to tow the trawler. Moreover, several survivors said they filmed videos with their cell phones shortly before the ship sank, but their phones were seized by Greek authorities, according to their testimonies.
Video shows how vessel was clearly unstable
Mega TV has broadcast a video showing the trawler a few hours before the shipwreck in which the vessel can be clearly seen oscillating and tilting due to overcrowding.
The video, obtained by investigative journalist Vassilis Lampropoulos, was allegedly filmed by the Greek coast guard crew that was monitoring the trawler, according to Mega's report. The exact hour of the video was not mentioned in the report.
The Greek coast guard has denied filming the trawler at the time of the shipwreck. According to some survivors, the boat capsized after Greek authorities tried to tow it with a rope.