An investigation by the Greek Coast Guard is underway on the Dodecanese Island of Kalymnos following the discovery of a 47-year-old man’s body late Sunday night in the water near a fishing vessel on which he had reportedly been sailing.

According to authorities, a coast guard patrol boat was dispatched immediately after an alert was received.

Officers located the fishing vessel offshore along with its owner and captain, while the 47-year-old was found unconscious in the sea nearby. The vessel was escorted back to the island’s port, where emergency responders transferred the victim to the local hospital. Doctors later confirmed his death.

Officers from the Kalymnos Port Authority are treating the case as a suspected homicide, after forensic indications suggested the victim bore stab wounds. The owner of the fishing vessel has been arrested and remains in custody as the preliminary inquiry continues.

Local reports cited by local media outlets claim that a violent altercation had preceded the incident. During the confrontation, a suspect is believed to have inflicted fatal knife wounds before the victim ended up in the water.

Authorities are also examining a possible drug connection. According to local media, both the victim and the detained boat owner had been arrested days earlier, alongside a third individual, after police allegedly discovered pills and a small quantity of cannabis in their possession. All three had reportedly been released pending further proceedings.

The coast guard’s investigation remains ongoing, while a forensic examination and autopsy are expected to clarify the exact cause and timeline of death.