At least four
people, including a nine-year-old child, have died after a speedboat and a
tourist vessel collided off the island of Aegina, according to Greece’s
coastguard.
The bodies of
three men and the child were recovered from the water, officials say. One of
the men killed in the collision is believed to have been the captain of the
tourist boat.
Four other people
were injured in the crash, according to authorities.
The nationalities
of the victims have not yet been released to the public.
At least
21 people, including the injured, have been rescued by coastguard vessels
and private boats. A helicopter was also involved in the rescue efforts.
It is thought
around 20 people were on the tourist boat, but it is unclear how many
people were aboard the speedboat, officials said.
A witness said the
motorboat was sliced in two.
Aegina is one of
the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, 27 km from Athens. Its
proximity to Athens makes it a popular holiday island for Greeks and
foreign tourists.
The tourist vessel
had been transporting people from Aegina to a beach on the nearby deserted
island of Moni, a common trip that runs daily.
Referring to the
area between the two locations, Aegina mayor Dimitris Mourtzis said, “It’s
such a small canal, just a few minutes’ distance.”
Details of how the
accident occurred were unclear as at press time.
The weather in the
area was reported to be good. 
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