Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 12th of April 2016

Case name: 2016_04_12-CM57
Situation: Alarm Phone in contact with 120 people in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea, all rescued by Italian rescue vessel
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Tuesday the 12th of April 2016 at 7am, the Alarm Phone was alerted by Father Mussie Zerai to a boat in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea, with 120 people on board, including 6 children. He also forwarded their GPS position and a Thuraya satellite phone number to us. We tried to call the travellers and reached them at 8am. They forwarded an updated GPS position to us and told us that water was entering their rubber boat. At 8.15am, we called the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome and forwarded the travellers’ latest position and their satellite phone number. The Italian coastguard was already aware of this boat and informed us that one of their vessels would arrive at the boat’s location in 90 minutes. At 8.20am, we called back the travellers on board and informed them that a vessel of the Italian coastguard was on its way in order to rescue them. Beyond that, we asked them to stay calm and seated when the rescue vessel arrives. At 8.30am, we forwarded the latest position of the boat to the MRCC Rome via e-mail. At 9.50am, we talked with the travellers again. It took us a while to explain to them that they should forwarded their latest GPS position to us. By the time they started to tell it to us, the call was suddenly interrupted, apparently due to a lack of energy of the satellite phone. At 10.35am, we called the MRCC Rome again and were told that all travellers on the boat had been rescued in the meantime. On this day, in total 2154 travellers were rescued from 17 boats, by vessels of the Italian and Maltese coastguard, the Italian Guardia di Finanza, a Frontex vessel and a merchant vessel.