Tragedy occurred in port of Piraeus, Greece, when a 36-year-old man died in his attempt to catch the departing passenger ferry, Blue Horizon, after an altercation with the crew members.

The tragic incident happened yesterday, when a young man, who arrived late, tried to enter the “Blue Horizon” ship that was on the Piraeus-Heraklion (Crete) route.

The ship returned to Piraeus. A preliminary investigation into the case has been undertaken by the central port authority of Piraeus.

The responsibilities of the captain, and the crew over the death of the 36-year-old man is under investigation by the relevant authorities.

The lawyer of the family of the 36-year-old man Mr. Apostolos Lytras said in the Greek tv Mega and to the journalist Nikos Evangelatos “that these things are unthinkable. He was a peaceful man and they really beat him up and threw him into the sea.”

The incident, captured on video, which is circulated on various social media, happened on Tuesday night while the ship was departing from Piraeus to travel to Heraklion.

The videos which are circulating on the various social media as well as eyewitnesses who observed the harrowing incident firsthand will bring new evidence to the incident.

In a message through social media platform X, the Greek Minister of Shipping, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, expressed his sadness over the incident, stressing that “all the necessary actions are being taken by the Piraeus Port Authority to clarify the case and assign responsibility.”

Earlier today, the Greek Minister made the following official statement giving a response to the announcement of Greece’s main opposition political party Syriza.

“Today the whole of Greece is shocked by the tragic death to which members of the crew of the ship “Blue Horizon”, our 36-year-old fellow man Antonis Kargiotis, led with their actions. We extend our sympathy to his family. We condemn seafarers for their illegal actions. But also for the fact that they did not observe the inalienable rule that Greek sailors have honored for centuries: to save people at sea and not to throw them into it, even under these conditions.”

Miltiadis Varvitsiotis explained that an investigation, into the actions taken by the Greek port authority of Piraeus to deal with the tragic incident, is underway.

“Under these circumstances it is inconceivable that some people try to exploit the event politically and accuse me of trying to equate the victim with the perpetrators. This is inconceivable to me. I want to assure the victim’s family that the Ministry of Shipping will do everything possible to hold those who should be held accountable,” added the Greek Minister.