A 22-year-old man who was arrested on charges of manslaughter after a six-year-old boy died and three individuals went missing in a migrant tragedy off Cyprus, has been granted release.
According to philenews, the survivors of the boat, which had been adrift for nine days, said in their testimonies that the 22-year-old man was not the navigator of the vessel, as Police initially suspected.
The migrants claimed that the actual navigator was among the three individuals who jumped into the water, to seek help, and are currently missing.
Following their testimonies, the case file was sent to the Law Office, and instructions were given to release the 22-year-old, who was said to have occasionally steered the boat when the navigator was asleep.
The young Syrian man was released on Friday and taken to the Pournara Reception Centre, along with the other 30 migrants.
As of now, there is no issue of criminal prosecution for anyone involved in the tragedy, and legal proceedings will proceed only if the person identified as the navigator of the boat is found alive.
Meanwhile, all those who gave testimonies confirmed the account of the six-year-old’s father, who stated that his child passed away on February 28, and his body was wrapped in a blanket and thrown into the sea.
Shortly after, three men from the boat, which had initially 35 passengers, fell into the water and attempted to reach land using improvised means to bring help.
Despite the Search and Rescue Coordination Centre’s efforts, it was impossible to locate them.
The migrants also reported that they had paid 2,500-3,000 euros to smugglers to be transported to Cyprus and that they had set off from the coast on the border of Syria and Lebanon, without knowing the exact location.
They further stated that due to bad weather conditions, the boat became unmanageable, leading to the depletion of fuel, food, and water, and to survive, they resorted to drinking seawater.
Meanwhile, a 36-year-old man continues to be hospitalised in serious condition with hypernatremia at the Nicosia Hospital.
The boat carrying the migrants departed on February 20 and was located on February 29, 58 nautical miles off the coast of Cyprus.
After a rescue operation, 31 people were saved.
(File photo)
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