9 Egyptians for trial over deadly migrant shipwreck
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9 Egyptians for trial over deadly migrant shipwreck

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Nine Egyptian men, on board a migrant boat that sank off Greece last year, killing hundreds of people, are to face trial next month.

Greece accused them of people smuggling, Greek judicial sources said on Friday.

The circumstances of the sinking of the Adriana in June remain a source of dispute between the Greek authorities and groups supporting the rights of survivors and migrants.
This means the trial could be the first opportunity to officially hear accounts of some of those present at the time.
Survivors have accused the Greek coastguard of capsizing the boat.
The authorities, which monitored Adriana for hours, say it overturned when a coastguard vessel was about 70 metres away.
The Coastguard Service has denied any wrongdoing.
What happened in the time between when the coastguard got alert and when the vessel capsized remains unclear.
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In a report in December, EU border agency, Frontex, said that Greek authorities failed to reply to its follow-up calls and its offers for assistance.
Frontex had spotted the boat from the air before the coastguard. It said it could not conclude what caused the Adriana to capsize.
The overcrowded fishing trawler was carrying hundreds of migrants from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt when it sank off Pylos town, in international waters, on its way from Libya to Italy.
Some 104 men survived and only 82 bodies have been recovered.
It was the worst disaster in years and again highlighted the dangers for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
The nine Egyptian men, in pre-trial detention since June, have been charged with causing the incident.
They are also accused of participating in a criminal organisation, migrant smuggling and other charges, one of the sources told Reuters.
They have denied any wrongdoing. The trial will begin on May 21 in Kalamata. (Reuters)
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