22/07: 9 people in distress near Kos, rescued by Greek and Turkish Coastguard

23.07.2019 / 20:43 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 22nd of July 2019

Case name: 2019_07_22-AEG547
Situation: 7 travellers rescued to Greece, 2 travellers returned to Turkey
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On 22nd of July at 05:35am CEST our shiftteam gets alterted by a speed-boat with 9 travellers in distress near the Greek island Kos. At 05:47am CEST we inform the Greek Coastguard. At 06:51am CEST the rescue to Greece is confirmed, but they confirmed only the rescue of 7 persons. They state that two travellers fell into the water and therefore have been rescued by the Turkish Coastguard. At 08:53am CEST our shiftteam finally reaches the Turkish Coastguard. They confirm to have rescued two persons and state that they have been jumping into the water, when they saw the Turkish Coastguard arriving. We could not get in touch with the travellers afterwards up to now so we are lacking information on what had happened.

Last update: 15:14 Oct 23, 2020

Credibility:

Border police patrols
While the exact location of patrols is of course constantly changing, this line indicates the approximate boundary routinely patrolled by border guards’ naval assets. In the open sea, it usually correspond to the outer extent of the contiguous zone, the area in which “State may exercise the control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws” (UNCLOS, art. 33). Data source: interviews with border police officials.
Coastal radars
Approximate radar beam range covered by coastal radars operating in the frame of national marine traffic monitoring systems. The actual beam depends from several different parameters (including the type of object to be detected). Data source: Finmeccanica.
Exclusive Economic Zone
Maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which the coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, the seabed and its subsoil and the superjacent waters. Its breadth is 200 nautical miles from the straight baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (UNCLOS, Arts. 55, 56 and 57). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans
Frontex operations
Frontex has, in the past few years, carried out several sea operations at the maritime borders of the EU. The blue shapes indicate the approximate extend of these operations. Data source: Migreurop Altas.
Mobile phone coverage
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network coverage. Data source: Collins Mobile Coverage.
Oil and gas platforms
Oil and gas platforms in the Mediterranean. Data source:
Search and Rescue Zone
An area of defined dimensions within which a given state is has the responsibility to co-ordinate Search and Rescue operations, i.e. the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. Data source: IMO availability of search and rescue (SAR) services - SAR.8/Circ.3, 17 June 2011.
Territorial Waters
A belt of sea (usually extending up to 12 nautical miles) upon which the sovereignty of a coastal State extends (UNCLOS, Art. 2). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans