Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 27th of August 2020

Case name: 20202708-CM288

Situation: Approximately 82 travellers started from Zawiya to reach Italy, engine stopped, brought back to Libya

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On 27th of August 2020 the Alarm Phone received a call from a satellite phone at 11:34h CEST. The travellers stated to be 82 people on board, among them 15 women and 6 children. The boat was a white rubber boat and the engine were off and so they were not moving. They passed a GPS position verbally. The call stopped. The Alarm Phone reached the travellers 10 minutes later and got another GPS position and the information that they started from Zawiya at 26th of August 2020. Situation on board seemed urgent. All these information were transferred to the competent authorities of Libya, Malta and Italy at 12:26h via email. Afterwards the shift team tried to call the so called Libyan coast guard several times but without success. When they called the maritime rescue and coordination center, MRCC, Rome the officer on duty got angry about the call and the demand from Alarm Phone that they also should call Libyan authorities. Later also relatives called the Alarm Phone to ask when rescue is coming. One of them stated to have spoken to the travellers recently and they asked for rescue. The shift team of Alarm Phone didn't succeed to call the travellers.

At 16:55h the Alarm Phone reached the so-called Libyan coast guard. They informed that 2 hours ago they sent a vessel for rescue. 17:28h the shift team learned via planefinder.net that a Frontex air craft asset were searching the area. The travellers are still not reachable as well as the Libyan coast guard.

At 18:50h the Alarm Phone tweeted about the case: "SOS! This morning a boat with ~82 people fleeing Libya, including 15 women called #AlarmPhone from International waters, just a few nautical miles from Libyan waters. Their engine was not working & they were in panic. The so-called Libyan Coastguards said they are searching."

The whole night the shift team tried to reach the travellers.

At 28th of August 2020 Twitter informs about 2 rescue operations by the so-called Libyan coast guards. They brought 124 travellers back to Libyan hell. Later the day the Alarm Phone learned via a relative that their beloved one is jail now.