EU watchdog opens probe in role of bloc’s border agency in Mediterranean shipwreck tragedy

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s official watchdog says it has opened a probe into the role of the bloc’s Frontex border agency in the shipwreck off Greece last month that is feared to have killed hundreds of people in the Mediterranean Sea. Migrant crossings in unseaworthy boats organized by human traffickers from Northern Africa have spiked this year, with massive losses of life. EU ombudsman Emily O’Reilly said Wednesday the investigation should make clear “who is accountable for these deaths.” Key questions raised by the tragedy in June include to what extent the EU’s Frontex agency could have been more involved, what exactly did it communicate to Greek authorities and what level of responsibility, if any, the agency has for the shipwreck.