13/12: 120 travelers rescued to Greece: One group stranded on Lesvos, two groups in distress close to Samothraki and Lesvos

14.12.2019 / 19:03 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th of December 2019

Case name: 2019_12_13-AEG636
Situation: 45 travelers standed on Lesvos, picked up by Greek police; 30 travelers in distress close to Samothraki, rescued by the Greek Coastguard; 45 travelers in distress close to Lesvos, rescued by Greek Coastguard
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases:
On 13 December our shift teams were alerted to three cases in the Aegean.
The first alert came from a group of 45 travelers with many children, who had landed North of Skala Mistegnon on Lesvos. At 3:17h CET we called different authorities on Lesvos, but without success. At 3:30h we alerted the Greek coastguard in Piraeus. At 4:18h the police confirmed they had sent a vehicle to pick them up.
The second alert came in the morning to a boat with 30 travelers, among them many women and children near Samothraki. We alerted the Greek coastguard at 8:11h CET and at 9:03h the people themselves confirmed their rescue to us.
The third alert reached our team at 23:44h CET from a boat in distress in the North of Lesvos, carrying 45 people and many children. We informed the Greek coastguard at 23:50h and at 1:50h the travelers confirmed their rescue.

Case 1:
At 03:06am CET the Alarm Phone was contacted by a group of 45 travelers, among them women and children, who had landed on Lesvos, north of Skala Mistegnon. They reported to be freezing and lost. We suggested them to call the police by themselves and that we could additionally call the police. We agreed on this and at 03:17am we called the port police who stated that our concern was not their responsibility and advised us to call the central port of Mytilene. They were not available, so at 03:30am we called the Greek Coastguard’s central office in Piraeus and passed them the information. They said they would forward it to the port police. At 04:02am we talked to the travelers again, they were walking in the direction of Skala Mistegnon. At 04:18am we called the port police again who confirmed to send a vehicle to pick up the people. At 04:49am the travelers confirmed that they had been found by the police.

Case 2:
At 07:56am CET we received a distress call from a group of approximately 30 travelers, among them 10 women and many children, close to Samothraki island. Communication via phone call was almost impossible due to a bad connection but we could communicate via WhatsApp. They reported that water was entering the boat and they did not have any fuel left. At 08:11am we informed the Greek coastguard via phone call and passed them the GPS location and the phone number of the travelers. They said they would send out a vessel to find them and we should stay in contact with the travelers. At 08:28am the Coastguard called us to ask for an update, but we did not have any new information. They confirmed to be searching for the travelers. At 09:03am the travelers informed us via WhatsApp that everyone was safe on the rescue vessel by then.

Case 3:
At 11:44pm we received a distress call from a group of 45 travelers, north-east of Lesvos. They sent us a video from the boat in which several children could be seen. At 11:50pm we called the Greek Coastguard and passed the information, phone number and GPS location. At 00:16am we received a new GPS location from the travelers which we passed to the Greek Coastguard via phone and e-mail. At 00:48am we called the Coastguard again and learned that they had spotted a boat close to the indicated location. At 01:50am we received a confirmation of the rescue from the travelers, they were brought to Lesvos.
Last update: 18:58 Dec 30, 2019
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • 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