A “hot” incident between a Coast Guard vessel and a Turkish offshore vessel took place yesterday morning in Samos, where an investigation into the identification of the wrecks has been ongoing since Monday afternoon. A Turkish Coast Guard speedboat made dangerous maneuvers in Greek – according to official information – territorial waters to receive this wrecked body from a passing cargo ship, challenging the Greek area of ​​responsibility for search and rescue.

In particular, at noon on Monday south of the island, a fishing boat found and took away two shipwrecked people. Rescuers said they were traveling with ten other people in an inflatable boat that capsized. The search and rescue operation was launched under the coordination of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce.

Yesterday morning, a cargo ship of Turkish interests discovered the body and reported it not to the Greek Coast Guard, which was in charge of the operation, but to the Turkish Coast Guard. The Turkish vessel then entered Greek territorial waters and picked up the body, thus challenging the Greek area of ​​responsibility for search and rescue, as has happened before. In fact, he pointed the cannon at the bow of the boat against the Coast Guard ship.

“The Turkish Coast Guard vessel is provocative by entering Greek territorial waters, possibly wishing to cause an incident,” said Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis in a written statement.