Shipwreck off Chios: Missing 12-Year-old boy identified

A 12-year-old boy who was aboard the ill-fated vessel involved in the deadly shipwreck off the coast of Chios has been identified.

Specifically, according to public broadcaster ERT, following a statement by the child’s father, the body of the 12-year-old was identified.

Today, his two siblings arrived in Athens together with their father, while his mother remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit in serious condition.

It should be noted that she is one of the two women who lost the fetus they were carrying.

Six Children Arrive in Athens

The airlift operation to transfer six underage children from the island to Athens was successfully completed on Saturday afternoon.

The critical mobilization began shortly after 14:00, when a C-27J military aircraft took off from the island. The minors ultimately arrived at the “Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital at 16:20.

“It was a coordinated operation involving the staff of EKAV’s air ambulance coordination unit, in close cooperation with the medical personnel of Chios Hospital, as well as the EKAV sector in Chios, and finally the coordination center of EKAV’s Central Service, in order to ensure the entire transfer operation, both the airlift and the ground transfer, from Elefsina where we landed to the Children’s Hospital,” said Socrates Doukas, air ambulance physician and spokesperson for EKAV, speaking to Orange Press Agency.

“Injured Children Aged 2.5 to 15, With Serious Fractures and Need for Surgery”

Referring to the condition of the children, Mr. Doukas explained that the operation “concerned six minors, aged from 2.5 to 15 years old, as a result of the maritime accident off Chios, who sustained injuries mainly to the spine—fractures. One case involved fractures of the upper limb, one was a complicated fracture, and one minor also had a fever.”

He further clarified that the patients now require specialized treatment: “They require specialized care, because, as you understand, these are spinal fractures. As for the upper limb fracture, the information indicates that surgery will most likely be required.”

One Minor Transported Without Injuries to Stay With Siblings

Beyond the medical aspect, the operation also had a humanitarian dimension, as care was taken to ensure families were not separated. “The last minor was transported along with the others for social reasons, because they were together with their siblings and their mother,” the EKAV spokesperson stated.

In conclusion, Mr. Doukas emphasized the importance of cooperation among all agencies involved in achieving a positive outcome: “This is not something that happens every day, and the mobilization and cooperation of everyone involved gave us the result of a safe air transfer and, ultimately, the ground transfer of these underage patients to their final destination, which is the Children’s Hospital here in Athens.”