At least 40 migrants were let off on the shores of the island of Kos by two speedboats on Tuesday night. The speedboats were subsequently pursued and intercepted by Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boats and four people arrested as suspected traffickers.
In the first instance, a coast guard patrol boat spotted a polymer-hull speedboat sailing at high speed without navigation lights and letting off roughly 20 foreign nationals at Therma on Kos. The speedboat then attempted to escape toward the shores of Turkey and made repeated attempts to ram the coast guard vessel in the pursuit that followed. Coast guard officers fired warning shots at the outboard motors, immobilising the speedboat and arrested the two foreign nationals driving it.
The second incident involved an inflatable speedboat, again without navigation lights, head toward the Prophet Zacharias area of Kos, where it again let off roughly 20 foreign nationals. A chase ensued and the craft was again brought to a standstill through warning fire at a safe section of the boat. The two persons in the boat jumped into the sea and were collected and arrested as suspected traffickers.
Of those let off the two boats, six people were arrested on shore and another 37 on board a KTEL intercity bus. Both vessels were confiscated.