The incident occurred at sea, prompting an immediate large-scale search and rescue operation.
Four coastguard patrol boats were deployed, along with an air force helicopter and a privately operated vessel carrying divers, as crews searched for possible missing passengers. The coastguard confirmed that 24 people were pulled from the water alive and taken to hospital on Chios. Two coastguard officers were also injured during the collision and required medical treatment. It remained unclear how many of those hospitalized were injured.
