Government Inquiry Finds Evidence of Crime in Failed Greek SAR Response

Greece’s government ombudsman has completed an inquiry into a disastrous migrant shipwreck off Pylos in 2023, and has recommended a disciplinary investigation for eight senior officers of the Hellenic Coast Guard. 

On June 10, 2023, the aging trawler Adriana got under way from Libya, bound for Italy with an estimated 400-750 irregular migrants on board. The overloaded fishing vessel entered the Greek search and rescue zone on June 13, and the Hellenic Coast Guard dispatched patrol vessel PPLS-920 to the scene. 

The patrol boat’s actions after that point were disputed, but on June 14, the fishing vessel sank. 82 bo…