Greek Shipping and Island Policy Minister Miltiades Varvitsiotis resigned on Monday following the death of a man who was pushed off a ferry deck by one of the crew members after boarding late.
The incident, which took place on September 5th, led to criminal charges against the ferry’s captain and three crew members, including a possible charge of intentional manslaughter.
The incident came to light after an amateur video surfaced on the internet showing the passenger running on the loading ramp of the Blue Horizon ferry as it was leaving the port.
He attempted to pass two crew members before being forcibly pushed off the ramp during a second attempt.
In a statement posted online following his resignation, Minister Giannis Plakiotakis wrote, “No one can imagine that Greek sailors, who have violated ancient rules to protect human life at sea, pushed and sadly abandoned a young man.”
Initially, political opponents accused Plakiotakis, 54, of downplaying the significance of the ferry incident.
However, despite the convincing electoral victory of the conservative government in Greece three months ago, the government has found itself in a challenging position due to its handling of major forest fires and ongoing massive floods this summer.
Christos Stylianides, a former Greek cabinet member responsible for disaster response, was chosen to succeed Plakiotakis on Monday.
Despite their recent electoral triumph, the Greek government has faced adversity in the wake of this summer’s forest fires and relentless floods.
