The head of Greece's coast guard as well as three other senior officers are reportedly being prosecuted for negligent manslaughter, following a deadly 2023 migrant shipwreck that claimed nearly 650 lives.

While the Hellenic Coast Guard denies any wrongdoing, survivors have alleged that the coast guard failed to respond adequately when the Adriana trawler was found to be in distress just off the Greek coastal town of Pylos.

Rights groups representing survivors and victims' families confirmed on Friday that a prosecutor of the Piraeus naval appeal court was bringing criminal charges against the four officers, after a lower maritime court had initially cleared them.

"By order of the prosecutor of the court of appeal, criminal proceedings are to be brought against four senior officers of the coastguard, including its current chief [Trifonas Kontizas]," the groups said in a statement provided to the AFP news agency.

On Thursday, news agency Reuters also reported the prosecution, citing legal sources.

What happened to the Adriana trawler off the coast of Pylos?

On June 13, 2023, the rusty fishing trawler Adriana, overloaded with as many as 750 migrants — nearly double its official capacity — was en route from Libya to Italy when it came into distress.

According to accounts by Greece's coast guard, the people on board "refused any help," leaving the coast guard to observe the situation and launch a search and rescue operation after the boat sank.

But in a conflicting account, survivors say the coast guard took hours to respond to their visible distress and actively caused the vessel to capsize and sink with the "sudden and powerful" manner in which it towed the Adriana toward the coast.

The trawler sank less than 89 kilometers (55 miles) off the coast of Pylos. Of the estimated 750 on board, 104 survived, but only 82 bodies were found, according to a press release by the United Nations.

The Greek coast guard reported that the people rescued included Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis and Palestinians. Eight were minors. 

'The human cost of inaction'

The incident is Greece's deadliest migrant shipwreck to date, and sent shockwaves through Europe. The UN called it "a stark reminder of the human cost of inaction."

Charges were initially brought against 17 coast guard members. They included failure to rescue and assist persons in distress, causing or helping cause a shipwreck, and exposing individuals to mortal danger.

Circumstances around the incident are still under investigation.

The Central Mediterranean has long been considered the deadliest migration route in the world. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says it has documented over 1,000 deaths and disappearances along this route in 2025 so far.

In 2024, at least 3,500 people were reported dead or missing along the maritime route.

Author: Maren Sass with AFP and Reuters

Edited by: Zac Crellin

First published: November 7, 2025

Copyright DW - All rights reserved

DW is not responsible for the content of external websites

Source: dw.com