Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 5th of October 2019

Case name: 2019_10_05-AEG588
Situation: 28 travellers stranded on Farmakonisi and picked up the next day
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:
On 5 of October we were alerted to a group of 28 travellers, among them eight children, one of them an only 10 days old new-born, who had been stranded on Farmakonisi. At 11:17pm CEST we alerted the Greek coastguard and passed them the GPS position we received. At 00:50am CEST the travellers told us: «Here is so cold. Our clothes is water.» When we called back the Coastguards some minutes later they stated that the group have been spotted on a place difficult to access and they could only reach it in daylight. At 05:47am CEST we tried to encourage the people who had not been rescued yet. When we investigated for an estimated time of arrival of the Coastguards we failed as at least four boats had arrived at that night on Farmakonisi. Finally, at 11:34am CEST on 6 of October the travellers confirmed to have been picked up.