The coast guard reported that 15 migrants were killed in the Aegean sea off Greece, on Tuesday after their boat collided a Coast Guard vessel?off the island of Chios.

A coastguard official reported that they had spotted a small boat transporting migrants to Chios (a Greek island located a few miles from the Turkish coast) and told them to turn around.

The official said that the smugglers had acted in a way to cause a collision with the coast guard vessel.

The coastguard said that 25 migrants had been rescued, but one of them, an elderly woman, died later. The search and rescue effort was still ongoing.

It was not possible to independently verify the cause of the collision. It was unclear what nationality the migrants were.

A second official confirmed that two coast guard officers had been injured and taken to hospital. A government official reported that witnesses said there were 'about 30-35 passengers on board.

Greece, located in the southeast corner, is a popular gateway for refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa.

In 2015-2016 Greece was on the frontline in Europe's migration crises. Nearly one million people from Turkey landed on its islands including Chios.

Arrivals have decreased in recent years and Greece's stance towards migrants has become more aggressive. Since 2019, the centre-right government has strengthened border controls by installing fences and increasing sea patrols.

Greece is under scrutiny for the treatment it gives to migrants and refugees who arrive by sea. In 2023, hundreds of migrant reportedly died in a shipwreck after witnesses claimed that the coastguard tried 'to tow their boat.

Last year, the EU border agency announced that it was investigating 12 cases of "potential human rights abuses by Greece", including allegations that migrants seeking asylum had been pushed away from Greece's borders.

Greece denies it violates human right or that it forces asylum seekers back from its shores. Reporting by Lefteris papadimas and Yannis souliotis; Editing by Edward McAllister

(source: Reuters)