Two Syrian migrants and one Coast Guard officer were injured early on Monday morning near the Aegean island of Kalymnos during the pursuit of a boat carrying migrants from Turkey.
Of the three injured, one Syrian in a critical condition with head and is being treated in Thessaloniki, while the other migrant was treated for a shoulder injury. The Coast Guard officer’s only suffered light injuries and has been discharged from the hospital. The three men were injured on Monday morning during a Coast Guard operation. A boat carrying about 12 migrants was located in the area between Kalymnos and Pserimos on Monday, with the Coast Guard launching an operation to intercept the traffickers.
The traffickers ignored the warnings and attempted to evade the Coast Guard vessel. During the pursuit the traffickers rammed the Coast Guard boat, resulting in the injury of one officer. In response the Coast Guard opened fire against the traffickers’ speed boat in order to immobilize its engine, which resulted in the two Syrian migrants being injured.
After the pursuit ended, the Coast Guard boarded the trafficker’s boat and found twelve migrants who were hidden on board, including an accomplice. The two Turkish traffickers were arrested, while the injured migrants were initially transferred to the hospital on Kalymnos, before being airlifted to Rhodes and Thessaloniki. An inquiry has been launched, as is provided in such operations.
