Four people who survived the migrant boat disaster off the coast of Greece say the actions of the Greek coastguard caused the crowded fishing vessel to sink, according to BBC.
It’s estimated that up to 750 people, mostly from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt, were on board when the boat capsized on 14 June. It was one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the Mediterranean in recent years – 104 people survived and 82 bodies have been recovered.
BBC said it is not naming the four survivors for their own safety but have verified their identities through more than one source.
Some of the men who spoke to the BBC over the phone are being held at the Malakasa refugee reception centre, 40km (25 miles) north-east of the Greek capital Athens, while others have now left the complex
“We thought they [the Greek coastguard] would rescue us but instead they sank the boat,” an Egyptian survivor told BBC.
He said the Greek coastguard was towing the vessel when it sank in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean, about 80km (50 miles) off the coast of Greece.
The Greek authorities have previously denied this, claiming that when they tried to tie a rope to the boat to come aboard and assess the situation, people on board tried to remove it, saying they wanted to travel on to Italy.
But a Syrian survivor told BBC: “They towed the boat from the side and moved with speed.” This tallies with the account of the Egyptian man, who said the coastguard “forcibly pulled us, causing the trawler to capsize”.
Some of the survivors BBC spoke to said the Greek authorities asked them not to speak to the media about how the Greek coastguard tried to “rescue the boat” and if they did speak to reporters they “shouldn’t blame the Greek coastguard”.
One said Greek officials put pressure on him to change his account of what happened and in return he would “get some financial aid and our application for refugee status would be expedited”.
BBC put the survivors’ accounts of what happened to the Greek authorities and asked for a response, but they said they could not comment because any information they have forms part of the official investigation into the sinking.
They also pointed BBC to their previous statements which said they did not tow the trawler and repeated offers of help were turned down