Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 18th of December 2018
Case name: 2018_12_18-AEG470
Situation: AEG-1 boat with 44 people rescued to Samos, 1 group landed at Symi and needed rescue after landing
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On the 18th of December at 2.11am CET, the Alarm Phone was alerted to two boats. The first, of 29 travellers, had landed on the island of Symi and needed help to exit the place of landing. The second was a boat of 54 travellers (including 16 children, and 15 women) that was rescued by the Greek Coastguard later.

In the first case, the Alarm Phone was alerted at 2.11am that 29 travellers (including 1 pregnant woman) were stranded in the forest on the Greek island Symi. It was cold, and there were several children, and they were not able to exit on their own. The shift team contacted the local police in Symi, as well as the port authority. Finally, around 4.35am, the shift team was told that the police had used a large boat and rescued them.

In the second case, the shift team was contacted at 2.15am about a boat of 54 travelers (including 16 children, 15 women, one of whom was pregnant). The pregnant woman on board was not in a good condition, and at 2.51am, the Alarm Phone received confirmation that they wished to be rescued. The shift team then called the Greek Coastguard, which had a boat near the last known position of the travelers. The shift team lost contact with the boat, but remained in touch with the coastguard. Finally, at 10.06am, the shift team received confirmation that the travelers had been rescued to Greece.