Greek ferry crew faces homicide charges after late passenger pushed into sea

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A Greek island ferry captain and three of his crew faced homicide charges Wednesday over the death of a tardy passenger who was pushed by crew members into the sea as he tried to force his way onto the departing vessel in the country's main port of Piraeus.

Greece’s minister for merchant marine, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, expressed "shock, horror and sorrow" Wednesday at the incident, and identified the victim as Andonis Kargiotis, 36.

The incident captured on a video and shared on social media sparked anger across the maritime country. It showed the passenger running onto the Blue Horizon ferry’s loading ramp, which was still down and in place on the quay, as the ship had cast off its moorings and was about to leave. He tried to push past two crew members on the ramp who stopped him and manhandled him onto the quay.

When the man once again stepped onto the ramp, one crew member stopped him and pushed him off as the ferry was departing. He vanished into the growing gap between the vessel and the quay, as the water was violently churned by the ship’s powerful screws.

The crew appeared to do nothing to help him, and the ferry continued sailing towards the island of Crete before being ordered back to Piraeus.

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In another video, a crew member was heard making an announcement to passengers saying the ferry's departure was delayed "by an incident ... for which the ship bears no responsibility."

The coast guard said the man was recovered unconscious from the harbor waters and later pronounced dead. An autopsy determined drowning as the cause of death.

In a social media posting Wednesday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis deplored what he called "a combination of irresponsible behavior and cynicism, contempt and indifference" that led to the man's death. "Yesterday's shameful incident is not indicative of the kind of country we want," he added.

The ferry boat Blue Horizon is docked during seamen's unions strike at the port of Piraeus, near Athens on Sept. 3, 2018.  (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

Varvitsiotis condemned the crew members for their "illegal acts" and their failure to follow "the basic principle that Greek seamen have honored for centuries" which is to rescue people at sea and "not to throw them into it, particularly in such circumstances," the minister added in a statement.

He said Kargiotis had a ticket and had boarded the ship shortly earlier, dashed out for unclear reasons and then tried to reboard. Varvitsiotis also said he ordered an investigation into how port police responded to the incident.

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Attica Group, which owns the Blue Horizon, initially issued a brief statement saying it was "devastated by the tragic incident" and would cooperate with the authorities.

In a longer statement several hours later, it expressed sorrow for Kargiotis' death and pledged an investigation into the "unthinkable" incident.

The ferry's captain, first mate and two more crew members appeared before a Piraeus prosecutor to be formally charged later Wednesday.

Piraeus is Greece's biggest port and the main gateway for millions of travelers visiting the country's Aegean Sea islands and Crete every year.