‘I thought he was black, Pakistani,’ Blue Horizon audio recordings reveal

The crew member accused of pushing passenger Antonis Karyotis to his death from a ferry in Piraeus port said to his captain in the aftermath: “I thought he was black, Pakistani,” audio recordings have revealed.

The voice recordings were published by broadcaster MEGA unveiling the dialogues between the captain and his crew on the Blue Horizon, shortly after Antonis, 36, was pushed from the vessel’s loading ramp and drowned, reported Ekathimerini.

Regrettably, no rescue efforts were made, and the ferry continued its journey far from port until it was eventually recalled.

“I thought he didn’t have a ticket. I thought he was black, Pakistani, because he was out there walking around. But he didn’t show us any ticket,” the crew member who pushed him said in the audio.

“All he said to me was ‘I will travel.'”

The deceased is referred to as a “fool” by the crew in the audio, three of which have been charged with the death of the 36-year-old, where they testified on Sunday, September 10.

Read more: Ferry crew members testify on passenger’s death at Port Piraeus

The four detainees include the captain of the ship and the men accused of pushing the passenger off the ship’s boarding ramp shortly before departing for Crete, causing his death at the port of Piraeus earlier this week.

Three of the crew members appeared before the prosecutor to testify, while the fourth – who is in hospital – will testify before a prosecutor from there. Defendants’ lawyers said the testimonies, originally scheduled for Saturday, had to be postponed because new evidence was included in the case files.

Read more: New Greek shipping minister Christos Stylianidis sworn in

Source: Ekathimerini