The European Union’s Frontex agency suffered a setback on Monday when one of its patrol vessels capsized off Kastellorizo, the archipelago’s easternmost island. Greek coast‑guard officials said the boat, which was carrying five people—including Estonia’s ambassador to Greece—rolled over and sank, though they offered no explanation for the incident.
All five occupants were rescued. A nearby Greek coast‑guard cutter and a passing sailboat lifted the crew from the water and transferred them to Kastellorizo, where four of the survivors, described as injured, were subsequently airlifted to a hospital on the larger island of Rhodes for treatment.
The incident follows a similar mishap last July when a Frontex patrol boat, then under the command of the Portuguese Maritime Police, sank off the Aegean island of Lesbos during a search‑and‑rescue operation. That earlier event resulted in no injuries.
Frontex has maintained a presence in Greek waters for years, working alongside the national coast guard to patrol a maritime corridor that serves as a major entry point for migrants fleeing conflict, poverty, and persecution across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The latest capsizing highlights the operational hazards faced by border‑security vessels operating in the busy and often turbulent waters of the eastern Mediterranean.