Nine Egyptian men who were on board a migrant boat that sank off Greece last year, killing hundreds of people, are to face trial next month, accused of people smuggling, Greek judicial sources said on Friday. The circumstances of the sinking of the Adriana in June remain a source of dispute between the Greek authorities and groups supporting the rights of survivors and migrants – meaning the trial could be the first opportunity to officially hear the accounts of some of those present at the time. Survivors have accused the Greek coast guard of capsizing the boat. The authorities, which monitored Adriana for hours, say it overturned when a coast guard vessel was about 70 meters away. The coast guard service has denied any wrongdoing. It remains unclear what happened in the time between the coast guard being alerted to the presence of the vessel and when it capsized. In a report in December, EU border agency Frontex – which had spotted the boat from the air before the coast guard – said that Greek authorities failed to reply to its follow-up calls and its offers for assistance. It said it could not conclude what caused the Adriana to capsize.
