NEWS

Minister: Checks on leisure craft intensified this summer

Minister: Checks on leisure craft intensified this summer

Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis expressed his deep regret on Saturday over a boating accident on Friday that left two people dead and one seriously injured, noting that checks on speedboats and other leisure craft have intensified this summer.

He said that although checks take place throughout the year, they have intensified this summer due to an increase in traffic.

More specifically, he said that at least 10,696 checks took place within a two-month period this summer and that 836 infringements have been recorded so far.

The accident late Friday involved a collision between two boats near the popular tourist resort of Porto Heli in the Peloponnese, southern Greece.

According to the coast guard, a 10-meter inflatable speedboat carrying eight to 10 French nationals crashed into a 5-meter wooden boat with three Greek nationals on board.

The smaller boat sank and the two men who had been aboard were recovered dead.

The third Greek on the wooden boat was a woman, who was severely injured.

The 44-year-old speedboat driver appeared before port authority officials in Porto Heli with his lawyer later on Saturday morning after initially having fled the scene following the accident on Friday evening. 

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