Aegean Sea Tragedy: Afghan Refugees Die in Alleged Greek Coast Guard Collision

 The family of four Afghan refugees who died in Greek waters claims that the incident was deliberate and, more than a month later, they have yet to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones.

On December 20, 2024, a family of four Afghan migrants lost their lives in Greek waters after their boat collided with a Greek Coast Guard ship. The family says they have still not been able to recover the bodies from the Greek authorities.

On December 20, the Greek Coast Guard issued a statement saying that a boat carrying migrants sank in the Aegean Sea near the island of Rhodes as it attempted to evade capture. The statement said that eight people died, and 18 others were rescued. According to the statement, the migrants’ boat lost control during the escape attempt and sank after colliding with the Coast Guard vessel.

Eight of the deceased were Afghan nationals.

Nasratullah Mirzayar, Najiya, Mansoor, and Usman are among the victims of the collision between a Greek Coast Guard ship and a boat carrying refugees.

Over a month after the incident, Laila Ebrahimi, who lost her sister, two nephews, and her brother-in-law, told Independent Persian that her family members were killed as a result of deliberate actions by the Greek Coast Guard and that she has not yet been able to recover their bodies.

“The bodies of all four family members were severely mutilated,” Ebrahimi said. “Some of them were decapitated due to the ship’s propellers, and others’ faces are unrecognizable.”

Laila Ebrahimi, who lives in Austria and has been trying to retrieve her family’s remains, said, “This tragedy was caused by the deliberate actions of the Greek Coast Guard. My family members were decapitated like victims of suicide attacks.”

Coast Guard vessels are typically equipped with blades or propellers that form part of their propulsion system. These propellers are located underwater at the rear of the ship and are used to drive the vessel. According to Ebrahimi, the Greek Coast Guard ship struck the migrants’ boat at high speed, causing part of the boat to be destroyed and killing eight migrants, including her family members, due to contact with the propellers.

According to the Greek Coast Guard’s report, the eight deceased Afghans included four members of Laila Ebrahimi’s family. Among them was Nosratullah Mirzayar, a former prosecutor in Afghanistan’s previous government and Ebrahimi’s brother-in-law, whose wife and children live in Germany. Other victims included 45-year-old Najia Ebrahimi and her two sons, Usman and Mansour, aged 19 and 20, who were trying to reach Germany.

Ebrahimi also stated that another victim was a young Afghan girl who remains missing, while three other migrants died from severe injuries.

She added that her family members traveled to Greece after the incident to retrieve the bodies, but despite DNA tests, they have not yet received the remains.

The victims, including the four members of Laila Ebrahimi’s family, had fled Afghanistan after the collapse of the Republic and the Taliban’s return to power, fearing persecution. They initially sought refuge in Pakistan, waiting there for humanitarian visas to Germany. When their efforts to secure German visas failed, the four traveled to Iran and then to Turkey, intending to reach Germany via illegal routes.

In Turkey, they contacted an Afghan smuggler based in Greece, agreeing to pay $4,000 per person to be transported to Greek territory via a speedboat. However, when the group of 22 migrants was about to board the boat to reach Greece, they discovered that the smuggler’s Turkish collaborators had placed them on an inflatable dinghy instead, claiming no other option was available.

Ebrahimi said that after the tragedy, she contacted the Afghan smuggler in Greece and asked why the migrants were transported on an inflatable dinghy instead of the promised speedboat. The smuggler reportedly blamed his Turkish associates, saying it was a mistake and that the plan was to use a speedboat.

The Greek Coast Guard stated in a press release following the incident that two Turkish nationals had been arrested on charges of organizing and facilitating the migrants’ journey from Turkey to Greece. However, the Afghan smuggler, who was the primary coordinator, has not yet been apprehended.

Younes Mohammadi, a migrant rights activist in Greece who has been working in this field for over a decade, told Independent Persian that similar incidents frequently occur in Greek waters. He added that the migrants’ attempts to reach Greece have perpetuated these tragedies. Mohammadi, who has been following the case of Laila Ebrahimi’s family, said he is in contact with government agencies regarding the matter.

Mohammadi noted that the handover of the victims’ bodies to their families has been delayed due to legal procedures and forensic identification processes. He also said that the case is “criminally complex” and that efforts and investigations to resolve it are ongoing.

- This article was written by Mukhtar Wafayee for Independent Persian.