Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 2nd of January 2020
Case name: 2020_01_02-WM440
Situation: 12 travellers rescued by SM Cartagena // 17 travellers heading towards Las Palmas intercepted by the Moroccan Navy
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean

Summary of the Cases:
On 2 January 2020, the Alarm Phone was alerted to two groups of travellers in distress. The first group of 12 travellers were rescued by the Spanish Search and Rescue organaisation Salvamento Marítimo (SM). The second group of 17 travellers were intercepted by the Moroccan Navy.

The Alarm Phone was contacted by a number of relatives of people onboard a boat which had left Mostaganem in Algeria shortly after the turn of the decade. We were unable to contact the travellers, but we phoned (SM) in Cartagena who told us that they had rescued a group matching the details we were given. Later the relatives confirmed that their family members were safe.

The Alarm Phone was contacted by a relative of someone among group of 17 people. The group had left Tan-Tan in Morocco and were heading for Las Palmas. We contacted the Spanish Search and Rescue organaisation Salvamento Marítimo (SM) in Las Palmas who began to search for the boat. Although at least one similiar group arrived in the Canaries, this boat did not make it. On 4 January 2020 we heard from SM Palmas that the boat had been found by the Moroccan Navy and taken to Layoune. Later that day the relative confirmed the interception and told us that the man had been detained in Layoune.