Is he partly responsible for 700 deaths? Greek captain defends allegations US and China in direct talks again – first blink in Beijing

After the shipwreck in the Mediterranean that allegedly drowned several hundred refugees from Africa, the captain of a Greek coastguard boat has defended itself against accusations. The Greek newspaper “Kathimerini” published on Sunday the transcript of a report that the commander of the patrol boat 920 gave to his superiors. As a result, about two hours before the accident, the captain offered help to the completely overcrowded fishing trawler – but this was refused.

The boat sank southwest of Greece on Wednesday with up to 700 migrants on board. 104 people were rescued, 78 found dead. All others were probably torn to the depths. The search for other survivors was unsuccessful. There are allegations from many quarters that the captain did not intervene when the cutter was discovered. Some media quoted survivors as saying that the coast guard even scuttled the boat trying to tow it towards Italy.

According to the log, the captain and his crew were informed about the ailing boat by the maritime search and rescue center in Piraeus, Greece, around 3 p.m. Tuesday. The patrol boat then immediately set course for the region. The cutter was discovered around 11:00 PM by a freighter. The Coast Guard approached the boat at 11:40 p.m. to about 650 feet and offered assistance.

“We have approached the ship to check its condition and that of the passengers and provide assistance again,” the newspaper quoted the captain, whose name was not published. Then the officials tied a rope to the bow of the ship. However, calls such as “No help” and “Go Italy” were heard on board – no help was needed, the destination was Italy. “Despite repeated calls asking if they needed help, they ignored us and untied the rope at around 11:57 p.m. They started the engine and headed west at low speed.”

The patrol boat then informed the search and rescue center and accompanied the boat at a distance of 200 meters, the captain said. At 01:40 the cutter stopped again. Then the boat slowly tipped over. There was a riot among the passengers and screaming was also heard. However, the boat capsized within a minute. The Mediterranean Sea is about 5,000 meters deep at this point. (aeg/sda/dpa)