Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 19th of October 2015

Case name: 2015_10_19-AEG104
Situation: Alarm Phone working on 6 distress cases in the Aegean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Monday the 19th of October 2015, the Alarm Phone was alerted to six emergency situations in the Aegean Sea.

At 1.10am we were notified through WhatsApp about a vessel in distress between the Turkish city of Kusadasi and the Greek island of Samos (case 1). Our contact person informed us that there were 45 people on the vessel with water entering. After several attempts our shift team was able to reach the travellers directly on their phone and were told that the engine had stopped working. They sent us updated GPS coordinates that showed them close to Greek territory. We informed the Greek borderguards in Piraeus who confirmed that they would notify the authorities on Samos Island. At 4.03am the Greek authorities confirmed that the travellers had been rescued.

At 2.16am, we were informed about a small group of people, composed of a man and a woman, an adolescent and three toddlers who were disoriented on a Greek island (case 2). We obtained their GPS coordinates, showing them on the island of Kastellorizo. We then contacted the people directly and informed them that there was a road nearby that would lead them to the closest city. However, they said that it would be dangerous to climb around the cliffs and our contact person did not want to leave the rest of the group behind. We reached the hospital on the island at 2.48am and forwarded the GPS coordinates as well as the phone number on to them. At 3am we received updated coordinates that showed them closer to the road. They said that they would wait until dawn before moving on. At 8.42am they told us that they had arrived in Kastellorizo village and were fine.

At 3.54am our shift team was informed about a vessel between the Turkish city of Didim and the Greek island of Farmakonisi (case 3). We tried to contact the travellers directly but without success. We then informed the Greek coastguards and passed on the received GPS coordinates of the vessel. At 4.18am we received updated coordinates, showing them moving closer toward Greece. At 5.38am our contact person who had told us about the vessel informed us that he thought that they had reached the island independently. Afterwards we tried several times to get in touch with the group directly but were never able to reach out to them. We informed the Greek coastguards that this group had reached Farmakonisi Island and was presumably in need of further assistance.

At 4.12am, a contact person told us about a group of 40 people who had reached Agathonisi Island but needed help (case 4). Following her account, one woman had just given birth. At 4.32am we reached the group directly and they told us that they were Syrians and too exhausted to walk on. Amongst the group were a lot of children and pregnant woman. At 4.51am we contacted the local hospital and were asked to call another phone which, however, was not answered. We reached the Greek coastguards who said that they would inform the responsible authorities. For hours it was not clear whether they had been found and were cared for medically. Finally, at 10.06am, our initial contact person said that the group was at the local police station and was fine.

At 5.49am we learned about another group of about 40 people who were on a vessel in distress near the Greek island of Chios (case 5). At 6.08am the travellers called us directly and some of them were clearly in panic. We immediately informed the Chios coastguards. Afterwards the travellers could not be reached again until 7.51am when they reached out to us and confirmed their rescue. They sent updated coordinates showing them in the harbour of Chios.

At 9.12am, Nawal Soufi’s activist collective informed us about a large group of about 200 people who had stranded on Nera Island/Greece and had run out of water, food and milk for the babies (case 6). Our shift team tried to get in touch with the travellers but was unable to reach them. We then forwarded the gathered information to the Greek coastguards. At 11.50am, the travellers responded to our WhatsApp message and confirmed that they had found help and were in the process of leaving Nera and moving toward Samos. They also reported that the Greek police had tried to force one of the travellers to pick up trash and when he refused they arrested him and his mother.