Three sources confirmed on Friday that a Greek naval court had charged 17 coastguard officers in connection with one of the worst shipwrecks to occur in the Mediterranean two years ago. Hundreds of people were believed to have died.

The shipwreck that occurred on June 14, 2023 in international waters, off the southwest Greek town of Pylos, caused shockwaves throughout Europe. The Naval Court is still investigating what happened.

The boat named Adriana was being monitored by a coast guard vessel for 15 hours prior to its capsize and sinking. The boat, named Adriana, had left Libya bound for Italy with approximately 750 people aboard. Only 104 people are known to be alive.

The Greek Coast Guard has denied wrongdoing in the handling of this case.

Three legal sources have confirmed that the 17 Coast Guard officers will be summoned to appear before a judge in response to allegations ranging from obstruction of transport to causing a shipwreck or helping to cause one.

A Greek coast guard official told contacted by that the service was not officially informed of the charges. The service asked to be briefed on the matter by the Naval Court.

The Greek judicial system is divided into several stages, and charges do not always mean that a person will be tried.

On June 21, human rights activists, along with other protestors, will hold rallies in Greece to mark the second anniversary since the Pylos shipwreck.

The first national investigation into the incident was concluded by the Greek Ombudsman in February.

Greece claims that its coast guard respects human rights, and has saved more than 250.000 people since 2015 when it was in the forefront of Europe's immigration crisis. (Reporting and editing by Renee Maltezou, Yannis Souliotis)

(source: Reuters)