Driver in Custody after Deadly Aegina Speedboat Crash

The nearby uninhabited islet of Moni, near Aegina.

A 77-year-old local man, identified as Thrasyvoulos Lykourezos, was arrested on Tuesday on the Saronic Gulf island of Aegina on charges of causing a shipwreck resulting in deaths and involuntary manslaughter.

According to reports, while driving an eight-meter speed craft, Lykourezos crashed into a tourist boat carrying 24 holidaymakers. The collision killed four Greek nationals, among which a 5-year-old girl, her 44-year-old father, the 58-year-old captain of the boat and a man aged 40-45 years old. Four passengers were seriously injured, including a 29-year-old foreign woman whose left leg was partially severed.

The collision reportedly occurred shortly after 1 p.m on Tuesday when the tourist boat was transporting passengers along a small channel between Aegina’s Perdika Port and the nearby uninhabited islet of Moni.

The speedboat driver reportedly said that he did not see the tourist boat in time to react promptly. Eyewitnesses reportedly said that the speedboat was moving at very high speed through the narrow channel.

He will be remanded in custody until Friday when he will testify before the Piraeus prosecutor.