Migrant speedboat collides with coastguard off Greek coast, killing at least 15

At least 15 people have been killed in a collision between a speedboat carrying migrants and a coastguard vessel off the coast of Greece, authorities have said.

The bodies of 11 men and three women were recovered from the sea near the eastern Aegean island of Chios, while a woman later died in hospital, according to coastguard officials.

A search and rescue operation is under way in the area, involving patrol boats, divers and a helicopter.

The coastguard said 25 migrants, including 11 children, had been rescued and taken to a hospital on Chios, along with two coastguard officers injured in the incident on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear how many people had been on the speedboat, the coastguard said.

Video footage from a local news outlet showed at least one person being carried in a blanket from a coastguard boat into a waiting coastguard vehicle, as others appear to lead two children toward the car.

It remains unclear how the collision occurred.

The head of Greece's public hospital workers' union, Michalis Giannakos, said staff at the hospital in Chios were preparing for a sudden influx of injured people.

Speaking on Greek television, Mr Giannakos said several of those injured required surgery.

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It comes less than three years after hundreds of people are believed to have died when a fishing boat carrying migrants from Africa and the Middle East sank off the coast of Greece in 2023.

Greek officials said the vessel capsized about 50 miles from the southern coastal town of Pylos after the boat got into difficulties when its engine stopped and it began veering from side to side.

According to the UN's migration agency, more than 33,000 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean Sea between 2014 and the end of 2025 - making it the deadliest migration corridor in the world.

(c) Sky News 2026: Migrant speedboat collides with coastguard off Greek coast, killing at least 15