Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 23rd of April 2019
Case name: 2019_04_23-AEG514
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to boats in distress in the Aegean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Tuesday the 23rd of April 2019, our Alarm Phone shift team was alerted to two boats in distress. The first boat carried 22 people, including 9 children and 5 women and they were on their way to Chios. Later we were alerted to a second boat carrying 44 people. Both groups reached Greece safely.

Case 1: At 2.17am CEST, our shift team was alerted to a boat carrying 22 people near Chios Island. We spoke to the Greek coastguards at 2.35am and forwarded the information we had gathered, including a GPS position of the boat. At 2.54am we received a new position which we forwarded to the Greek authorities. At 3.30am, the Greek coastguards confirmed that they were on the way. At 4.45am, they told us that they had found the boat and rescued the group.

Case 2: At approximately 4am CEST, we were alerted to a second boat in distress, this time near Kos Island. When we received an updated GPS position at 4.22am, we contacted the Greek coastguards at 4.32am, and forwarded the information to them. Only a minute later, we received the confirmation from a contact person that the boat had landed independently on Kos Island. We informed the Greek coastguards. The group themselves informed Greek authorities about their whereabouts and asked to be transferred to the next town.