Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 9th February 2021
Case name: 2021_02_09-WM567
Situation: 38 travellers in distress on their way to the Canary Islands, rescued by SM and brought to Tenerife
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean

Summary of the case: On Tuesday the 9th of February at 15.32 CET, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of 39 travellers, 17 women, 13 men and nine children, who were in distress on the way to the Canary Islands. The travellers had left during the night of the 6th of February from the coast north of Dakhla on a wooden boat. The relative forwarded us two phone numbers of the travellers, but neither we nor the relative were able to establish contact to the travellers, and we did not know their exact location. At 16.52 CET we sent an email to the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo, forwarding all the information we had. In a phone call to Salvamento Maritimo at 17.58 they informed us that they had sent an airplane to look for the boat, but that they had not found anything. They also confirmed that they would look for it with an aircraft again the following day.
The following day at 13.45 CET we spoke to Salvamento Maritimo again. They informed us that they had found the boat and started a rescue operation. Online, we could monitor that their vessel Salvamar Macondo was carrying out a rescue operation south of Las Palmas. At 17.26 CET they informed us that they had finally rescued the 38 people who had all been brought to Tenerife safely. The successful rescue was shortly after confirmed by the relative of the travellers.