Ferry captain, 3 seamen face homicide charges over passenger death
A ferry captain and three of his crew are facing homicide charges over the death of a tardy passenger who was pushed by crew members into the sea as he tried to force his way onto the departing vessel in the port of Piraeus.
The ferry’s captain, first mate and two more crew members were due to appear before a Piraeus prosecutor to be formally charged later Wednesday.
The incident captured on a video and shared on social media sparked anger across the country. It showed the passenger running onto the Blue Horizon ferry’s loading ramp, which was still down and in place on the quay, as the ship had cast off its moorings and was about to leave. He tried to push past two crew members on the ramp who stopped him and manhandled him onto the quay.
When the man once again stepped onto the ramp, one crew member stopped him and pushed him off as the ferry was departing, with the man vanishing into the growing gap between the vessel and the quay.
The crew then appeared to do nothing to help him, and the ferry continued sailing towards the island of Crete before being ordered back to Piraeus.
Βίντεο σοκ: Το πλήρωμα έσπρωξε από το Blue Horizon στον θάνατο τον 36χρονο που σκοτώθηκε στο λιμάνι Πειραιά pic.twitter.com/eiPvxWYKvq
— kakajason (@kakajason50) September 5, 2023
The coast guard said the man was recovered unconscious from the harbor waters and later pronounced dead. Initial results from the autopsy examination of the 36-year-old man show that the cause of death was “drowning in seawater.”
The deceased also suffered some injuries and abrasions to the head. The results of a toxicology examination are pending.
Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis expressed “shock, horror and sorrow” at the incident.
Varvitsiotis told privately-owned Parapolitika radio that the behavior of the detained crew members was “a vile insult to Greek seamen.”
He said the man had a ticket and had boarded the ship shortly earlier, dashed out for unclear reasons and then tried to reboard. Varvitsiotis also said he ordered an investigation into how port police responded to the incident.
Varvitsiotis also ordered a sworn administrative inquiry into how Piraeus Port Authority dealt with the incident.
Τραγικό!! Δεν υπαρχουν λόγια!! #bluehorizon #Πειραιάς #δολοφονια pic.twitter.com/CJNLnPxNNy
— Τραμπάκουλας ®️ official γκρί τίκ (@Trambakoulas2) September 6, 2023
Port Authority sources told the state-run AMNA news agency that an official was in the area but not in front of the boarding ramp.
The sources added that the ramp should be up before the ship’s engines are turned on and that the Port Authority has registered the violation.
Attica Group, which owns the Blue Horizon, issued a brief statement saying it was “devastated by the tragic incident” and would cooperate with the authorities.
Piraeus is Greece’s biggest port, and the main gateway for millions of travelers visiting the country’s Aegean Sea islands and Crete every year. [AP, Kathimerini, AMNA]
