Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 3rd of February 2021
Case name: 2021_02_03-AEG746
Situation: 35 people attacked and then rescued to Mytilene
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On 3rd February 2021, we were called from an inflatable boat in distress at 07:35h CET. The boat was carrying 20 women, two of whom were pregnant, 13 men and two children. They reported having been attacked by a large boat. Their fuel and battery had been taken. They were drifting. We asked them for a GPS position, but they were worried that we would pass it to the police. We explained that all we could do was pass on their position to the coastguard and put pressure on the coastguard to carry out a rescue. They understood and gave us their current location. They were close to Lesvos.

We passed on the number of the Hellenic coastguard and explained that they should also contact the coastguard by themselves. In addition, we sent an email to JRCC Piraeus copying in Frontex, NATO, the Greek ombudsman and the UNHCR. We followed up with a phone call to JRCC Piraeus who promised us that they were investigating the situation. We made it clear that there was no need to investigate the situation as the details were clear. What was required was a rescue. They reiterated that they were investigating. We phoned the local coastguard on Lesvos. They too insisted that they would be investigating.

At 10:15 we were able to make contact with the travellers. They were on Lesvos and had been taken to the quarantine camp. Boza, Welcome to Europe.