A Hellenic Coast Guard officer sustained a head injury during a high-speed chase with a migrant smuggling boat off the coast of Lesvos early Friday.
The incident occurred south of Mytilini, the island's capital, when a Coast Guard patrol boat attempted to intercept a speedboat offloading migrants.
The speedboat pilot engaged in risky maneuvers to evade capture, resulting in a collision with the patrol boat and injuring the officer. Authorities apprehended two Turkish nationals, aged 25 and 31, onboard the speedboat before it could reach Turkish waters.
Thirty migrants, who identified themselves as being from Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine, were later detained onshore.
The entire group was transferred to a reception center on Lesvos.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Greek authorities in combating migrant smuggling in the Aegean Sea.
The smugglers' reckless actions, which endangered both the migrants and the Coast Guard officers, underscore the dangers involved in these operations.