Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 12th of July 2020

Case name: 2020_12_07-CM263
Situation: 23 travellers reached Lampedusa by themselves
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the Case:
On 12th July 2020 at 21:18h CEST 23 travelers on a boat in distress in the Maltese Search and Rescue (SAR) zone reached out to Alarm Phone. The shift team learned that they started from Zuwarah in a white fiber glass boat the night before. Among the passengers were 3 women and 4 children. At 21:35h the shift team requested the Maltese and Italian authorities to launch a rescue operation. In the next call with the travelers the situation seemed to get tense and the newest GPS position were transferred to the authorities at 22:23h. Shortly after the travelers told us on the phone that the Italian coast guard called them on their satellite phone to double check their position, which was very surprising. The whole night and the coming day the 13th July until 12:07h the Alarm Phone stayed in contact with the travelers, received their GPS position regularly and forwarded them to the authorities in Malta and Italy. What the coast guards were doing all the time remains a miracle to us as they refused any helpful information. Around 10h the weather was changing and the travelers stated to be exhausted after so long time at sea. Contact was lost after 12h and we only could gather the information about their safe autonomous arrival with the help of friends located on Lampedusa.