Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigation – 4th of May 2015

Case name: 2015_05_04-CM15.1
Situation: 89 people in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded, rescue assumed
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Libya

Summary of the Case: In the early morning of the 4th of May 2015, the shift team of the Alarm Phone received a message from Father Mussie Zerai that alerted us to a vessel in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea, trying to reach Italy. After several attempts, the satellite phone of the passengers could be reached and its position located. There were approximately 89 people on a rubber vessel, amongst them about 25 women and 6 children, mainly from Somalia. These information were immediately passed on to the MRCC Rome.

In a phone conversation with the passengers around 10am, the shift team advised them to prepare for the rescue operation, to stay calm and seated. After this call, contact to the passengers broke down and could not be re-established. MRCC Rome refused to provide us with information about this vessel in question. While rescue cannot be absolutely verified it seems to be the most likely outcome in this case, also according to a tweet from the Italian Navy (source 1) and a news report (source 2).