Shootout leaves teenage asylum seeker dead in Greece
A teenage asylum seeker has been killed during a shootout between police forces and human smugglers off the Greek island of Symi, the government says.
In a statement published late Saturday, Greece’s Ministry of Mercantile Marine, Aegean and Island Policy said that the incident happened when a yacht carrying 70 asylum seekers “from Turkey’s western shores tried to illegally enter (Greek waters).”
Greek coast guards and officials from Frontex, the European border management force, stopped the yacht for inspection off the Greek island, the statement said.
Scuffles broke out between the police and three Turkish nationals suspected of being human smugglers, while shots were fired during the clashes, the statement added.
The suspected human traffickers were all arrested, with one of them admitting that he had injured an officer.
According to a doctor at the Symi health center, the 17-year-old migrant was “probably killed by gunfire.” Greek Marine Minister Christos Zois also expressed sadness over the tragic incident.
An investigation has reportedly been launched into the death of the teenager, whose nationality has not been revealed yet. An autopsy is expected to be performed on the victim’s body in the nearby Greek island of Rhodes.
Earlier this week, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that approximately 300,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean this year, with nearly 200,000 of them landing in Greece.
Joel Millman, of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), also said recently that at least 2,373 asylum seekers have died crossing the Mediterranean this year, up by 300 when compared to the figures recorded over the same period last year.
Most of the refugees who risk their lives to reach Europe are reportedly fleeing conflict-hit zones in Africa and the Middle East.
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