Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 4th of June 2019
Case name: 2019_06_04-CM166
Situation: 50 travellers intercepted by the so-called Libyan coastguard and brought back to Tripoli.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: : In the morning of Tuesday the 4th of June the Alarm Phone was alerted by a family member of one of the travellers on a wooden boat in distress carrying 50 travellers, including women and children. The relative who contacted us told us that the boat had left the previous evening and was already in Italian waters, and that water was entering the boat. At 9.28 am CEST our shift team managed to establish contact with the travellers who confirmed that water was entering the boat. Later, they told us that they had already been contacted directly by the Italian Coastguard who was aware of the case. Nonetheless we sent an email to the Italian coastguard and to Colibrì (civil aerial reconnaissance mission) with all the information we had, including the GPS position of the boat. Around 12 pm the travellers informed us that they we no longer able to move due to the large amount of water that had entered the boat. They were in severe distress and told us that the boat was going to sink soon. Half an hour later the travellers called us again and told us that the situation was getting worse, two people were already unconscious. At 12.46 pm we published a tweet informing about the case. At approximately 1.30 pm Colibrì informed us and the Italian coastguard that they had spotted the boat. At 14.38 pm we were informed that the so-called Libyan coastguard had intercepted the boat and the travellers were being brought back to Libya.