Three sources said on Thursday that Greek coastguard officers would testify in the form of suspects, as part a disciplinary inquiry into their role as suspects in a fatal migrant boatwreck near Greece.

On June 14, 2023, a vessel that had been monitored by the Greek Coastguard for several hour capsized and went down in international waters near the town of Pylos, located on the southwest coast of Greece.

The trawler, which left Libya and headed for Italy, carried up to 700 people. Only 82 bodies have been recovered, despite 104 survivors being rescued. No one has been charged with the crime and families are still waiting to hear about their loved ones.

The Greek coastguard denied any wrongdoing in the handling of a case that sent shockwaves throughout Europe and beyond, and raised questions regarding the European Union’s tactic on migration.

Sources close to the investigation said that about 10 officers including the commander of the coastguard and the captain who was monitoring the overcrowded vessel before it sank were called to testify.

The officers will be interviewed as part of a probe launched by Greece's Ombudsman Andreas Pottakis. He has the authority and responsibility to investigate security forces at a disciplinary scale. Pottakis is also examining if the coastguard's actions or omissions contributed to the tragedy.

The cause of this shipwreck remains disputed. The survivors claim that the coastguard capsized the boat when they tried to pull it. The Coastguard said that the boat had refused assistance.

One source said that "adequate evidence" of wrongdoing in the search and rescue operations has emerged.

Sources said that the suspects would testify about the gaps in the Coastguard's log of communications and whether or not a rescue was planned properly.

The vessel which arrived on the scene in order to follow the migrant trawler will be examined for its ability to perform a rescue operation. It will also be investigated as to whether special forces were present and, if they were, why.

They will be asked to answer the allegations if the investigation finds that the officers were responsible at any point in the operation. The officers could be subject to disciplinary actions, the most severe of which is dismissal.

The only court in Greece with the power to investigate any criminal responsibility on behalf of coast guard officers, a naval court, opened a separate inquiry last year. However, it is still at an early stage. (Editing by Hani Richter, Andrew Heavens and Hani Richter; Additional reporting by Yannis Soulieotis)