Autopsies show migrants in shipwreck off Greece died of head injuries, not drowning

Hellenic coast guard performs SAR operation, following migrant's boat collision with coast guard off the Aegean island of Chios, near Mersinidi, Greece, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Konstantinos Anagnostou

ATHENS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Most ⁠of the 15 Afghan migrants who were killed off the Greek island of Chios last week ⁠when their dinghy collided with a coast guard vessel died of head injuries, not from ‌drowning, autopsy results seen by Reuters show.

A criminal investigation has been opened into the February 3 collision - one of Greece's deadliest migrant accidents in years - in which a coast guard vessel collided with a dinghy carrying about 39 people, causing it to capsize.