Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th of May 2019
Case name: 2019_05_30-CM165
Situation: Boat in distress in the central Mediterranean Sea
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: On Thursday 30 May 2019, the Alarm Phone was alerted by a relative to a boat in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea, carrying about 70 people on board. We were never able to speak directly to the people on board. Eventually, we believe, the boat was intercepted back to Libya.

At 10.41h, the relative of someone on a boat in the Central Mediterranean Sea alerted the Alarm Phone. He said that his brother on the boat which had left Libya about 40 hours earlier. He was very worried and said that during his last contact with his brother, he had heard that there was a problem with the boat. A few minutes later, the relative told us that it was a wooden boat with people from Egypt and Bangladesh on board. Last contact to the boat was established at 3am. The boat had started on the 28th of May already, probably from Zuwarah.

We were not able to reach the satellite phone of the travellers, but at least we could upload it with credit so that the people could still make emergency calls.

At 11.42h, the relative said that there were about 69 people on board, the majority from Bangladesh. After we received GPS coordinates, even though they were from the day before, we contacted RCC Malta at 13.35h and passed on obtained information.

At 15.50h, another relative called us and asked about the same boat. He said that he believed they had been rescued by Malta, but handed over to the Libyan coastguards – Alarm Phone could not confirm this claim.

When we spoke to the Maltese authorities at 17.15h, they said “regarding this boat we have no information.”

On the next day, 31 May, at 13.12h, we reached someone from the so-called Libyan coastguards. They stated that they had rescued boats 3 days ago but not during the past 2 days. On one boat there were many people from Bangladesh, as well as Egyptians. We cannot confirm the rescue of this boat but believe it is most likely that the people were intercepted and returned to Libya.