A ferry carrying 105 passengers and nine crew members ran aground in the Euboean Gulf of Greece on Tuesday evening, prompting a dramatic evacuation. The vessel, sailing from Nea Stira to Agia Marina, became immobilized after striking a rocky outcrop near an islet.
Authorities said that while water began to enter the vessel in a controlled manner, causing a slight list, all 114 people on board were safely evacuated. The Greek public broadcaster, ERT News, confirmed that Coast Guard vessels and private boats transported the passengers back to Nea Stira, with no injuries reported.
Passengers complain about the chaotic response
The incident is now at the center of an investigation by the Ministry of Shipping, which has revealed a number of serious concerns. The captain reportedly failed to immediately report the grounding; instead, a citizen’s alert initiated the swift evacuation.
Passenger testimonies paint a picture of a chaotic and uncoordinated response from the crew. Multiple passengers complained to Greek television stations about a lack of information and instruction during the crisis. “They didn’t say anything over the loudspeakers, not even a word,” one passenger told Mega television. Another noted that they had to find life jackets themselves.
Eyewitness accounts of the evacuation process were particularly damning. “They took us off the ship with a household ladder, made of iron. Tragic things,” a passenger stated, adding that “volunteers took us on boats and took us to land.”
The captain’s actions and the crew’s response are under intense scrutiny. The rocky outcrop is a well-known navigational hazard and is visible to the naked eye, leading investigators to examine the circumstances of the grounding and the crew’s conduct in the aftermath.
The Ministry of Shipping is now also investigating the passengers’ claims of a complete lack of communication and guidance from the crew during the critical moments of the incident.
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