Thermi Wreck - 21 people found dead, at least 6 missing

14.12.2012 / 11:20 / Thermi - Lesvos Isl. - Greece

Α tragic ship wreck off the coast of Lesvos island occurred in the early hours of Friday 14 December, when a small boat carrying 28 Afghans, trying to reach the island’s shores, capsized or hit some surfacing rocks (according to some reconstructions of the case, two Turkish persons were also present on the boat, but this information has not been confirmed).

The boat had left the Turkish coast at around 2am in the night.

One survivor was found by a boat of the Latvia coast guard operating in the frame of Frontex JO Poseidon and the taken to Lesvos hospital.

According to information of the Greek Coastguard, 21 dead bodies were recovered from the sea or found in the area of Thermi in the following hours.

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Information concerning this case was gathered during interviews with local researchers during WTM fieldwork in Lesvos in October 2013.

Last update: 16:58 Dec 05, 2013

Sources

http://www.unric.org/en/latest-un-buzz/28110-tragedy-in-lesvos-21-dead-at-sea-and-6-missing-in-attempt-to-cross-from-turkish-coast

http://lesvos.w2eu.net/2012/12/15/three-dead-migrants-found-on-december-15-at-the-coast-of-lesvos-one-survivor-20-still-missing/

http://tvxs.gr/news/ellada/nayagio-me-15-nekroys-metanastes-stis-aktes-tis-lesboy

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/15/uk-greece-boat-idUKBRE8BE05B20121215

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/12/20121215113355595623.html

Credibility:

Thermi Wreck - 21 people found dead, at least 6 missing

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