Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 29th of May 2019
Case name: 2019_05_29-CM164
Situation: Boats in distress in the central Mediterranean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Wednesday, the 29th of May 2019, the Alarm Phone was alerted to two boats in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. We were never able to speak to the approximately 80 travellers on the first boat, but kept regular contact to a relative who was following the situation from land. The people were eventually rescued to Malta. The Alarm Phone was able to stay in direct contact with the second boat for many hours. European authorities were uncooperative despite the boat’s location in international waters and the presence of Italian maritime and aerial assets in its vicinity. Rescues were delayed by about a day, and the people had to suffer at sea for two nights. Eventually they were rescued to Italy, but upon arrival the survivors stated that several people had died during the journey.

CASE 1: At 16.52h CEST, we received a call from a relative who told us about a boat in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea, carrying about 80 people, mainly from South Sudan and Ethiopia. The person said that there were women and children on board and that they had nothing left to eat. The boat had left already the day before. When we tried to find out the GPS position of the boat, the line broke. At 17.10h, we were able to re-connect with the relative but our communication was difficult. We gathered that the boat was in international waters and in dire need of rescue. Despite not being able to speak to the people on the boat directly, we were able to charge the satellite phone on the boat with credit so that they could continue to reach out. Over the following hours, we were unable to re-establish communications with the relative. We continuously monitored the credit of the satellite phone on board and charged it when it ran out. We were not able to establish any direct contact to the boat. Only the next day did we speak to the relative again. He confirmed that the people had been rescued to Malta and were safe. We believe that this was the case where the survivors clung to a tuna pen at sea until rescue arrived.

CASE 2: At 20.52h, the Alarm Phone was called by a relative of someone on a boat in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea, carrying about 90-100 people. About an hour later, our shift team was able to obtain the number of the satellite phone on the boat.

When we spoke to the travellers at 22.00h they told us that they were on a rubber boat and that their engine had stopped to work. They had left Libya the day before already, around 21.00h. At 22.45h we were able to speak to them again and they stated that they were scared about the water coming into their boat. The engine was not working due to a lack of fuel. When we obtained their GPS position, we alerted the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome at 23.16h via email.

The description of the boat, a black and white rubber boat, matched the description of a boat that the civil reconnaissance aircraft Moonbird had spotted earlier on the day. This means that authorities had been informed about this distress case since the morning already.

At 23.40h, the people on the boat called us again, asking for rapid rescue as they thought they could not survive until the next morning. We spoke to MRCC Rome on the phone and they confirmed their awareness of the distress situation.

When we spoke to the boat again at 23.47h, the people on board were exhausted. They said that one balloon of the rubber boat had burst, and more water was entering the boat: “One of the ‘balloons’ burst, water is entering the boat, we won’t survive much longer. … If we have to wait the whole night, no one of us will be alive. We don’t know how much battery is left.”

At 00.11h on May 30, we informed also RCC Malta about the situation. At 00.13 we talked with the people again. “It is too much cold. The kids are suffering from the cold, we are afraid for them. They are wet and freezing. There are fifteen kids, the youngest is 9 months, then 3 years, 4 years. We tried to move the kids in the corner of the boat, where is less water. But the boat is not stabile, so moving them is difficult. There are 20 women or so on here. The women are strong but the one who is pregnant is very sick.” We tell them that we informed Maltese authorities and that they need to stay strong. We agree to speak again in 30min.

At 00.36am, we informed MRCC Rome and RCC Malta about these developments. We also launched a public pressure campaign, alerting the public to this case of non-assistance at sea. Alarm Phone on Twitter: “Since this morning authorities are informed about this distress case. An @ItalianNavy vessel monitored the situation closely but did not render assistance. We condemn these repeated acts of non-assistance & demand the immediate launch of an adequate rescue operation.”

At 00.47h, the people on board said: “Some people are panicking. Some people are out of their mind because of fear.” We tell them that the coastguards are not telling us when they will come for their rescue. The person on board says: “This is not good for us, they will not rescue us.” He agrees it is important to give people hope to avoid more panic which is dangerous. Their satellite phone battery was running low and so we agreed to speak only from time to time. We charged their phone with credit.

Alarm Phone on Twitter: “This is why the Mediterranean is the deadliest border in the world! @guardiacostiera was informed about this boat already at 10.23h CEST and yet no rescue has taken place. This policy of non-assistance has to end. Our last contact to the boat was at 00.47h – they are panicking.”

At 00.56h, we spoke to MRCC Malta and asked about what procedures they had initiated. They were un-cooperative and merely said that they don’t have any information to share. At 00.59h, also MRCC Rome refused to give us any information, merely stating that the boat was not in Italian waters.

At 01:20h we talked with the people again – again we cannot promise when coastguards are coming. The person on board says: “It is so fucking inhumane what they are doing with us. We are here in the sea for more than a day now. They came with airplanes helicopters and everything. They know where we are and they just wait for the Libyans to come tomorrow to pick our corpses. Those who will still be alive will maybe then also go into the water because they want rather to die than to go back to Libya. Why can't they let any fisher boat save us and then at least to avoid people to die. They can bring us to whatever shitty prison. But this situation here is so inhumane, you cannot imagine how we suffer.” We tell him that we will stay with them until the end, whatever happens. We promise that we call the coastguards and inform the public to raise pressure. He thanks us for being with them.

At 02.00h, we informed both MRCC Rome and RCC Malta about the developments in the case. At 02.02h we spoke with the boat again. The person is very angry. “The situation is really fucked up. I am sure nobody will rescue us before the morning. We will try to survive but we don’t know if we will.” We tell him he should call in case if anything changes but that we should speak less frequently, to save their battery. At 03.14h we talked with the people on board. Situation is still unchanged. The people are still suffering. He says “I am very very tired... We are alone in this sea.”

At 03.53h, we once more informed the Italian and Maltese authorities, calling for immediate action.

At 04.50h we spoke to the boat again. “The sun is here but we are still alone, we can’t see any boat.” He sounds extremely exhausted; it is calm in the background as if they don’t have energy for panic anymore.

At 05.43h we received new GPS coordinate from the boat, but they seemed to be incorrect. At 06.04h, we received their correct location. At 06.05h we forwarded this new position to RCC Malta. They stated that they are not operative in this case and say that the Libyan authorities were responsible. At 06.16h, we sent the updated coordinates of the boat to both Italian and Maltese authorities.

Alarm Phone on Twitter: “4.50h CEST: the approximately 90 people are still suffering in great distress. The sun is rising in the central Mediterranean but they can now see that nobody is near them, they are still completely alone at sea with no rescue in sight. @refugees”

At 06.37h the people called again. “There is a helicopter flying over us, but nothing on the water. Do you see a boat coming to us?” We say we cannot see any movements at the moment. At 07.42h, we updated their phone with credit. At 07.50h, the people said: “We are so tired.” We tell them that we have launched a pressure campaign in Italy and contacted parliamentarians, the media, etc. We also say that there is a cargo vessel 1-2 hours away and that we make pressure to change its course and rescue.

Alarm Phone on Twitter: “06.37h: The people on the boat reached out to us once more. They have again spotted a helicopter circling above them but they cannot see any maritime assets. They ask us if we know of rescue vessels approaching them but we have to say that we don't know of any. #safepassage”

At 08.00h, the people called and said: “A 5-year-old girl died.” We can hear people scream in the background. “One balloon is losing air. We hope the boat can reach us.” Alarm Phone on Twitter: “According to the #migrants, a 5-year-old girl has died on board. They also told us at 8.25h that the helicopter was still there and that the boat they saw was not a cargo but a military boat. We are quite certain it is an @ItalianNavy vessel, the P490. It has to rescue NOW!” [Note: the death of the 5-year-old child was so far not confirmed, though people said after disembarkation that several people had died during the journey].

At 08.19h, the people called again. “We see a ship. It is far away but big. Coming from where the sun is.” One can feel that people are getting excited.

At 08.24h, we spoke to MRCC Rome – again they refused to state whether they were coordinating a rescue operation. At 08.30h, the people called again: “There is P490 written on the boat.” It is an Italian Navy vessel. We instruct people on how to prepare for rescue, one by one, and children and women first.

At 09.05h, we spoke with the people again. And despite the bad connection, we heard that a rescue had been launched. The person on the phone said “goodbye”.

Alarm Phone on Twitter: “9.05h: We spoke to the people and though the phone connection was very bad we understood that a rescue operation is launched by the @ItalianNavy, though this is not confirmed by Italian authorities yet. If true, a rescue was launched 24 hours after authorities were first alerted.”

“The @ItalianNavy vessel P490 had monitored the boat in distress yesterday already & could have rescued them nearly a day ago. This act of #non-assistance risked the lives of 90 people. Now these survivors have to be brought to a port of safety in #Italy! @refugees #safepassage”

At 09.40h, the Italian press agency ANSA confirmed that the Italian Navy vessel P490 had operated a rescue. The Italian MRCC Rome nonetheless refused to confirm the rescue to us, just stating that the media was reporting on the case. The people were later disembarked in Genoa, Italy where they stated that some people had died during their Mediterranean journey.