Chios: “We were going straight, the Coast Guard hit us without warning” – What the survivors testify

A completely opposite description from that given by the Coast Guard is provided in the testimonies of the survivors of the Chios shipwreck, which claimed 15 lives, before the Investigating Judge on Tuesday, February 3.

It is reminded that in its official announcement, the Coast Guard described the incident as follows: “A patrol vessel, which was performing a scheduled patrol, spotted an inflatable speedboat (T/X) with foreign passengers moving without navigation lights towards the eastern shores of Chios, in the sea area of Mirsinidi. The operator of the T/X did not comply with the light and sound signals from the Coast Guard vessel, instead reversing its course, resulting in a collision of the T/X with the right side of the Coast Guard vessel. Due to the severity of the impact, the T/X overturned and sank, causing all its passengers to fall into the sea.”

Five days later, NEWS 24/7 reveals what the survivors of the shipwreck have started to describe in their testimonies during the investigation, which began on Friday evening inside the hospital as most of them are still hospitalized, as well as at the VIAL Reception and Identification Center where those discharged were transferred.

“I saw a strong light shining on our boat and then the impact happened. I don’t remember anything else. The light came from the left. We were close, we needed 3-4 minutes to reach,” describes one of the survivors who testified.

When asked from which side he felt the impact, he replies: “From our left,”and when asked if he noticed the inflatable boat turning, he says: “No, we were going straight.”

He also testified that he didn’t hear any siren or anyone shouting to stop, and when asked if he saw any blue light, he responded: “No. If I had heard someone say they saw something before the collision, I would have said it.”

“A second after the light, we collided”

Another survivor describes in his testimony that he was sitting on the right side of the inflatable boat, and while he could see that they were approaching Chios, he saw a strong white light: “This light lit up and went out once, as if it wanted to scare us. When we saw the light, we got anxious because we thought we were going back. After one second, after the light went out, we were hit very quickly and very hard. After this crash, how we survived today, only God knows.”

The survivor was also asked if he heard any siren or someone warning them to stop before the impact: “No, I didn’t hear anything. I saw the light, and after a second, I felt the hit. It was silent, then we saw the light, and then the impact happened.”

When asked if he noticed the inflatable boat turning, he answered negatively: “No, I didn’t notice it turning either right or left, we were going straight and were hit on the left side.”

In a third testimony, a woman who was on the inflatable with her husband and children, who are among the deceased, describes: “The captain was going well, quietly, and when we were a little further from Greece, we saw a light from the left and then the collision. As soon as I saw the light, the crash happened. When I regained consciousness, I saw a lot of blood, and the water had risen up to below my chest. It wasn’t a collision, it was on purpose. We were going straight and we were hit very hard.”

She also claims that the driver didn’t turn at all and didn’t steer towards the Coast Guard vessel. “We didn’t hear any siren or ‘stop.’ If we had heard ‘stop,’ we would have stopped and our children wouldn’t have died. We didn’t see anyone, no one chased us. When I saw the light, I saw something coming towards us and we were hit.”

The same description is provided by another passenger on the inflatable: “I didn’t realize anything, I came to when I saw the Coast Guard officers. The boat was running, I saw some white lights, very bright, the sea around me was white from the light, and then the impact happened. The light came from our left. I didn’t hear a siren, only the engine of our boat. I can’t tell if I heard something or not.”

When asked if he saw any blue light or heard someone asking them to stop, he replied: “No, I didn’t see any blue light, nor did I hear ‘stop.’ After the collision, I heard people asking for help.”

The driver and questions about recognition

Among the survivors who were questioned during the investigation, most describe not having seen who the driver was. Some testify that they cannot recognize him as “he was wearing a mask over his whole face.” Others say: “When we boarded on the Turkish shores, a Turkish man told us to look down, and because we were scared, we looked down. This Turkish man left as soon as we boarded the boat.”

Only one person among the passengers who testified said that they could recognize him if they saw him. Initially, they said: “I can recognize him even though he was wearing a black mask over his whole face. Only his eyes weren’t covered, and I only saw those.” During the pre-investigation, when shown a photo, they recognized him.

However, when shown the photo again during the investigation, they corrected themselves: “I didn’t see his hair or the rest of his face, but now as I see him, I think he isn’t the one. I’m not sure. He looks like the driver.” When asked why they recognized him in the pre-investigation while talking to the Coast Guard, they said: “At that time, I wasn’t feeling well, I was distressed from the incident, I was crying and I wasn’t in a state to remember clearly.”

The captain’s testimony and why he didn’t write anything in the ship’s log

In his testimony, the captain of the Coast Guard vessel says that he has never experienced such an incident before. He claims, as the Coast Guard initially stated, that “we activated the sound signals to declare our presence. We shouted ‘STOP.'”

Regarding the collision, the captain of the Coast Guard vessel testified: “We approached, and within seconds, I realized that the driver of the boat turned left towards us, heading south. He turned abruptly, made a maneuver, and obviously lost control, as I understand from my experience.” Continuing, he says: “When I felt the impact, I turned the wheel to the left, and then I saw the boat with deflated balloons starting to sink.”

Asked if there is a ship’s log on board and what he recorded in it, he replied: “Yes, there is. I keep it manually as the captain. I haven’t recorded anything yet because I’m injured in my left hand, as I mentioned, and it’s difficult for me to write even though I’m right-handed.”