Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th February 2021
Case name: 2021_02_13-CM365
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to boat with around 100 travellers in the Central Med, all safely rescued by Open Arms.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the case: On Saturday the 13th of February at 11.27 CET the Alarm Phone shift team was called directly by a group of around 100 travellers in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Amongst the travellers were 10 women, of which five were pregnant as well as seven children. They had left from Zuwarah the previous evening at 20.00 CET on an overcrowded rubber boat, and none of the travellers were carrying life vests. The engine of the boat was still running, but the travellers told us that they had very little fuel left, and that there was a problem with one side of the boat. In addition, people on board were very exhausted and scared and the wind was strong. At 11.43 CET we sent an email to the relevant authorities, including members of UNHCR and rescue NGOs, forwarding all the information we had including the position of the travellers. As a storm was approaching and we feared for the travellers lives, we urged the authorities to commence search and rescue immediately. We were able to stay in touch with the travellers and could thus receive their updated position and update the relevant actors with this as well as the deteriorating situation onboard. However, when calling the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome, they refused to give us any information about ongoing search and rescue efforts. At 13.05 CET the travellers told us that they could see an airplane above them, which we found out belonged to the NGO Pilotes Volontaires. We also learned that the rescue NGO Open Arms was proceeding towards the boat.
At 17.55 the travellers told us that two small orange boats were approaching them. This was fortunately the RHIBs of Open Arms, and we later received a confirmation that the travellers were all safe onboard Open Arms.


Alarm Phone tweets about the case:

12:59: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1360559239379451908
110 people in distress on a rubber boat. The weather is rapidly deteriorating & the people report high waves & an ongoing storm. They need immediate rescue! Authorities are informed. Don't let them drown!

17:50: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1360635267565170688?s=09
The ~100 people are still out at sea, exposed to waves and the ongoing storm. State authorities are not responding. Our only hope rests with #OpenArms now who are heading south. We hope that they will arrive in time and prevent a possible tragedy.