30/08: 12 people, including a woman in labour, reach Greece safely

31.08.2018 / 17:48 / Evros, Aegean

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th of August 2018

Case name: 2018_08_30-AEG420
Situation: Distress situation in the Aegean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Closed
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Thursday the 30th of August, we learned at 2.25pm CET about a group of people that had crossed into Greece via the Evros river and was now held at the Soufli police station. There were 12 people in total, including 7 children and 2 women, one of whom was pregnant. The group was afraid to be illegally returned to Turkey. We knew of this group of travellers already as they had tried to cross to Greece before, on the 11th of August and had been pushed-back to Turkey. We contacted the police station and when unable to reach them, we sent an email to local authorities, the UNHCR, and several NGOs. However, we did not receive a response and were unable to get through to the various local authorities. On the next day, we were able to speak to a contact person at 10.10am who confirmed that the group was still detained. At 1.40pm we informed the UNHCR about the situation in a phone call. In the evening we spoke to a contact person who said that the pregnant woman in the group had delivered her child at the station. They were registered there and held for about 2 days before they would get transferred to a camp.
Last update: 20:11 Sep 26, 2018
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

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