The captain and chief engineer of the Blue Star Chios ferry have been arrested on charges of negligent homicide after a 20-year-old trainee sailor was crushed to death by a watertight door, authorities said.
The victim, a maritime academy student with only 15 days of on-the-job experience, became trapped in the sliding door early Wednesday morning while the passenger ferry was sailing from Rhodes to Piraeus.
He was rushed to a hospital upon the ship's arrival in port but was pronounced dead.
The young sailor's death has sent shockwaves through Greece's maritime community.
Vaggelis Galanopoulos, president of a junior merchant marine crew union, said the fatal accident likely resulted from the cadet's inexperience in a demanding and dangerous environment.
The First Port Authority of Piraeus is leading the investigation into the incident.