The death of a 36-year-old ferry passenger at the port of Piraeus on Tuesday night is shocking as videos posted on social media show exactly what happened.
Crew members of a ferry push the man way, he falls into the water and drowns, while the ferry is sailing away as if nothing has happened. The tragedy takes place in front of the eyes of ferry passengers who are shocked.
The victim was a man with disabilities.
Attention: images and videos with graphic content
The passenger tries to board the ferry to Crete while the ship is departing but the vehicle ramp is still down.
Two crew members forcefully push him away twice.
The man falls into the water the moment the ramp is up and the ferry moves away from the dock.
He drowns in front of the eyes of dock workers and other passengers who watch and film the tragedy from the deck.
Videos: Attention Graphic footage
Βίντεο σοκ: Το πλήρωμα έσπρωξε από το Blue Horizon στον θάνατο τον 36χρονο που σκοτώθηκε στο λιμάνι Πειραιά pic.twitter.com/FdzFTliZLg
— kakajason (@kakajason50) September 5, 2023
pic.twitter.com/Q6Rg3dpcie
— kakajason (@kakajason50) September 5, 2023
A passenger said that they took the second video, filming the tragedy from the Blue Horizon deck and “I sent it to the Port Authority, to the officer in charge. And so the whole procedure started… Until then, all mass media were reporting that the man jumped by himself into the water.”
“Murder in cold blood”
The ferry departed for Heraklio as if nothing has happened.
It seems that no member of the port authority was around as it should be when a vessel depart or arrived at the port.
Some 40-50 minutes later, the Blue Horizon is ordered by a prosecutor to return to Piraeus port.
Shocked about “the murder in cold blood,” ferry passengers told media that they alerted the ferry crew after they saw the man in the water but nothing happened.
One passenger told news website news247.gr that there was an announcement that the ferry had to return to Piraeus “for an incident that took place there and for which the ferry had nothing to do with.”
Upon return to the port, four members of the crew of the Blue Horizon ferry and the captain were detained, the deck officer and the master arrested, are reportedly expected to appear before the prosecutor Wednesday noon.
Media reported later, that three crew members and the captain are to be charged with “murder in collaboration.”
The victim: A man with special needs
Member of a poor family with many children, Antonis was a person with disabilities with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The family was from Agios Nikolaos, Crete.
The victim used to travel from Crete to Piraeus on and off and the crew knew him well, local media ekriti reported.
Mayor of Agios Nikolaos, Antonis Zervos, told Open TV that Antonis had special needs and he worked as cleaner for the Municipality in the past.
He was living together with two of his sisters in social housing and the family was supported by the social services of the Municipality.
“Our community is in shock,” the mayor added.
The local community, but also people from other parts on Crete, are reportedly collecting money to support the family after the tragedy.
Official statements
Shipping Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said that the passenger had a ferry ticket, he was already on board earlier but he disembarked and tried to get on the ferry again before this departed for Crete. He added that ll the necessary actions are being taken by the Piraeus Port Authority to shed light on the case and assign responsibility
The management of the Attica Group, which owns the ship, said in a statement said that it was “shocked by the tragic incident” and it is cooperating with all competent authorities for the full clarification of the incident.
PS Question is: How much is life worth in Greece nowadays?