The Greek coastguard said that 15 migrants were killed after their boat collided and capsized with a coastguard vessel in the Aegean sea late Tuesday night, off the Greek Island of Chios. It was one of the worst shipwrecks to hit Greece in recent years.

The coast guard stated that the collision occurred after a boat carrying migrants, with its navigational lights off, ignored signals sent by a patrol vessel of the coast guard and changed direction.

The statement stated that the migrant boat capsized due to its severity, and all the passengers on board fell into the sea just a few miles from the Turkish coast.

I was not able to verify independently how the collision happened.

The statement said that the Greek authorities recovered the bodies of 14 people, and saved 25 others. Seven women, seven men, and eleven minors were rescued. The migrants were mostly Afghans, but also included a Moroccan. They were all taken to hospital. However, one woman died later.

The Minister of Migration,?Thanos PLEVRIS, praised the efforts made by the Coast Guard to rescue migrants.

Plevris, in a speech to lawmakers on Wednesday, said that the smugglers were the ones responsible for 15 deaths. The coast guard saved 24 lives. In response to a question on how a small boat could have rammed a Coast Guard vessel, Plevris said: "I think the coast guard."

Officials from the Coast Guard said that at least 39 people were on board of an eight-metre boat. Five coast guard vessels, a helicopter and five coastguard vessels are involved in a search and rescue mission.

Greece is a popular?gateway into Europe' for refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa.

In 2015-2016 Greece was on the frontline of Europe's migration crises and almost 1 million people from Turkey landed?on its island, including Chios.

Greece is under fire for the treatment it gives to migrants and refugees who are approaching by sea. This includes a shipwreck that occurred in 2023, in which witnesses claimed that the coastguard was trying to tow a trawler.

The port authorities of Chios launched an investigation to investigate the latest incident.

(source: Reuters)