Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th of October 2020
Case name: 2020_10_13-CM309
Situation: 5 dead, 6 survivors on a boat travelling from Algeria to Italy
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the Case:
On 13 October, we received a call from the relative of a person on a missing boat. They informed us that three boats had left from Algeria, towards Sardinia and that two of the three boats had made it to Sardinia. The arrival was on 10 October around 16:00h CEST, but the third boat carrying the caller's relative had had engine problems and had never arrived. Following this we received a call from the relative of another person on this missing boat who informed us that there had been 12 Algerian people on board the missing boat. They told us that it had left on the evening of 9 October. The second relative told us that they thought the boat had stopped 30km away from Sardinia. We immediately alerted all the relevant authorities.

We repeatedly tried to contact those on the boat directly once we had been alerted but were unable to get through to them.

On 14 October, with no more news from authorities of any ongoing action to search for the missing people we tweeted about the missing boat.

On 17 October at 22:24h we received the devastating news from one of the relatives who had managed to speak to one of the people on the boat that four of those in the group stranded at sea had died. We were also told that the surviving people were able to see mountains during the day and lights during the night. We forwarded this information to the authorities, urging them to take action and advising that the survivors included minors in urgent distress.

On 18 October around midnight we were finally told by the Algerian CG that a search and rescue operation had been launched by the Italian CG.

Families of the missing people informed us that they had begun demonstrating in front of the Annaba CG headquarters to put further pressure on the search for their loved ones.

We tweeted again with the new information to express our shock that four days after the authorities had been informed, and four deaths later the survivors remained without rescue: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1317591662160433153?s=21

That night we also received a video from one of the relatives showing a call being received from one of the people on the boat, where a vessel could be heard approaching those on the boat and asking them 'to wait'.

At 02:45h we received a call from one of the relatives who was crying and told us that she managed to speak to those on the boat again, and was told that another boy had died. They confirmed that they had been approached by a vessel and been asked to wait. The relative told us that those still on the boat were dying, that the boat had started taking on water due to high waves, and that the people on the boat were so dehydrated that they had started drinking water from the sea. She also told us that the person on the boat had told her that they were close to Sicily from information they had from an app. We subsequently called the Italian CG again with this new information but they would not provide any further information to us.

At 08:05h we spoke again to the relative who had spoken most recently to those on the boat. She told us that the Italian CG informed her that they had sent two vessels and a helicopter to search for the boat. We called to attempt to confirm this information with the Italian CG but they declined to give any information.

Later that day the relatives told us that on calling again she was told that there was no search ongoing. Cagliari CG also told us that they had launched search and rescue operations on 9, 10, and 11 October with 3 helicopters, two aerials, and boats, but that they were unable to find the boat. Without direct consistent confirmation from the authorities we were unable to know what to make of this conflicting information and what to tell concerned relatives phoning us for information.

That morning we also provided information about this case to an International Committee of the Red Cross delegation that was on its way to Italy to meet with officials and the pope, as they wished to talk about this case in order to help put pressure on the authorities.

At 11:30h we tweeted once again to alert the public about the dire situation of those dying on the boat and the further needless death that had occurred:
https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1317764743491473409

At 20:12h, after calling and continuing to get inconsistent information or being refused information from authorities, we finally receive news from one of the relatives that the survivors have been rescued and taken to the hospital by helicopter.

At 22:30 we finally received confirmation from the Italian CG that earlier that evening 6 people were rescued from a boat in the waters off Mazara del Vallo, about 8 miles from the port.

We passed a list with the devastating news of those who died and those who survived to the relatives who had been calling us. We mourn deeply the terrible loss of these 5 people - nephews, cousins, children, parents, and brothers - who were killed by Europe's deadly borders. We stand with those who have to live with having experienced their deaths, and those who will live with the loss of their loved ones due to Europe's inhumane border regime that continues to take lives.