Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 21st of July.2020
Case name: 2020_07_21-CM266
Situation: 131 people intercepted to Lybia
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean
Summary
In the afternoon of July 21st Alarphone was alerted to a boat in distress carrying 125 people, in the end confirmed to be 131 people. At the time of the alert water was entering the boat, it had started deflating and there was neither food nor water on board. Authorities were contacted via e-mail but did not answer our phone calls. The information we received from the people in distress appeared to match the description of a deflating, drifting boat spotted by Moonbird. People on the boat confirmed they could see an airplane above. They also stated that 24 minors were on board, in the end confirmed to be 13, and no life vests. At 17.30CEST Alarmphone contacted the shipping company Suardiaz of the cargo vessel Ivan, which was close to the last position given by the people in distress. At 17.30 and 19.50 Alarmphone received an updated position which was forwarded to authorities. At 21.00CEST authorities in Rome and Malta finally answered our calls, but solely confirmed they knew about the case and would not confirm that either had taken responsibility for coordinating a rescue. Connection to the boat was lost shortly after 21.00CEST. MRCCs in Portugal and Lisbon were contaced via phone, who confirmed they knew about the distress case and stated MRCC Rome was dealing with it. MRCC Portugal had been unable to establish contact with the so called Lybian coast guard. Neither authority had received any update from the cargo vessel Ivan. Meanwhile, an aerial asset of the EU border agency Frontex was flying overhead of the position of the boat in distress. Alarmphone still had no communication about a rescue being coordinated. Contact to the boat could not be re-established throughout the night. Just before 07.00CEST in the morning of July 22nd the so called Lybian coat guard confirmed the interception of the 131 people, including 13 minors, to Lybia - a warzone where torture, rape & imprisonment are systemic conditions.