Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 20th of November 2019
Case name: 2019_11_20-WM425
Situation: 2 Cases: 42 People to Fuerteventura; 15 people to Melilla
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea

On 20 November 2019, the Alarm Phone was alerted to two distress cases in the Western Mediterranean region: A group of 42 people had left from the Western Sahara and were rescued to the Canary Islands; A group of 15 women and children were stranded on the Spanish islet, Isla de Congreso, and were later rescued and taken to Melilla.

Case 1
On 20 November 2019 at 15:00h CET the Alarm Phone received a distress call from a boat that had left Laayoune early that morning. The people reported that there were 34 people on board, including women and children and that the boat had run out of fuel and was adrift. After a brief loss of contact we reconnected and they gave us their GPS position which was in the Spanish search and rescue zone. We were unable to make any further contact with the boat but were later advised by Salvamento Marítimo (SM) Las Palmas that a boat with 42 people was rescued near to the location we were given at around 15:50h and that the people arrived at Fuerteventura at 17:10h. After further discussion with SM Las Palmas, we concluded that this boat was the same boat. The 42 people included 23 men, 14 women and 5 infants.

Case 2
At 06:06h CET we received a message from the relative of somebody who was stranded alongside 14 others on a Spanish islet north of Nador, Isla del Congreso. The group was composed entirely of women and children. We managed to make direct contact with the group at 07:19h. They gave us their GPS position and sent photos of themselves on the island. Fearing pushback, we contacted human rights organisations as well as SM Melilla. At 09:27h the relative informed us that a Spanish boat had arrived on the island. At 15:35h we received confirmation that the people had been rescued and taken to Melilla.