Incident between Greek and Latvian smugglers and coastguards. Iraqi teenager shot dead

(B2) The body of a 17-year-old boy, an Iraqi national, was found after a shooting aboard a yacht carrying around 70 migrants, near the Greek island of Symi on Saturday (August 29) confirmed Sunday the Frontex agency, the European agency responsible for managing operational cooperation at the EU's external borders.

The smugglers ship refuses to stop

The Latvian patrol boat, deployed as part of the "Poseidon" maritime operation, had " detected the yacht early Saturday afternoon in Marathounta Bay of Symi Island ” specifies the text of the press release (*). The yacht then “ changed course and started heading towards Turkey, ignoring all signals to stop ". When the Latvian ship approached, the smugglers' ship still " tried to force the passage ».

Intervention of the Greek Coast Guard

With the help of the Greek coastguards who arrived on the scene, the yacht was finally stopped. " Greek officers boarded the ship while the Latvian patrol vessel remained at a distance ". On board, the captain of the boat then attacked the Greek officers, wounding one of them. An exchange of gunfire took place. One of the smugglers was also injured. It was only later, when the situation calmed down, that " the body of the young Iraqi was discovered on board (**). He was immediately taken to hospital on the island of Rhodes for an autopsy ».

Since the beginning of the year, more than 179 migrants and refugees have arrived in the Aegean islands from Turkey, according to the Frontex agency.

(NGV)

(*) text in English, translation provided by us

(**) The first version given by the press spoke of a 15-year-old whose circumstances of death varied: death by asphyxiation or by bullets.

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