Greece blames smugglers over migrant deaths but early accounts have been questioned before

Following the deaths of 15 migrants in a speedboat collision with a Greek coastguard vessel near Chios, Greece, authorities blamed the incident on smugglers, stating the migrant boat made dangerous maneuvers and ignored signals to stop. However, this explanation is being met with caution due to past discrepancies in official accounts of migrant deaths at sea. The article references a 2023 incident where over 650 migrants were feared drowned, and initial reports blaming smugglers were later contradicted by survivors alleging coastguard involvement in the capsizing. Currently, several coastguard officers face prosecution for negligent manslaughter in that prior case. In the recent incident, there is a lack of independent evidence to support the official narrative, and no testimony from survivors has been reported.