03/04: 25 people on their way to Lesvos were attacked and brought back to Turkey

04.04.2021 / 23:32 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 3rd of April 2021

Case name: 2021_04_03-AEG780

Situation: 25 people were attacked by Hellenic Coastguard and later intercepted by Turkish Coastguard

Status of WTM Investigation: concluded

Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: In the morning of 3rd April 2021 Alarm Phone got alerted about a group of about 25 travellers North of Lesvos. It was said the travellers were attacked by the Hellenic Coastguard, means their engine stolen and were drifting in Turkish waters. A telephone number was transferred to the shift team but it couldn't reach the people in distress. At 10:56h CEST the Turkish Coastguard was called. They stated to have an ongoing rescue operation and also have rescued a group of that size already. It wasn’t possible to figure out if we are talking about the same group, we should call back. Later the day the Turkish Coastguard confirmed to have rescued exactly this group, the telephone number of the travellers were matching.

Last update: 16:14 Aug 20, 2021

Credibility:

Border police patrols
While the exact location of patrols is of course constantly changing, this line indicates the approximate boundary routinely patrolled by border guards’ naval assets. In the open sea, it usually correspond to the outer extent of the contiguous zone, the area in which “State may exercise the control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws” (UNCLOS, art. 33). Data source: interviews with border police officials.
Coastal radars
Approximate radar beam range covered by coastal radars operating in the frame of national marine traffic monitoring systems. The actual beam depends from several different parameters (including the type of object to be detected). Data source: Finmeccanica.
Exclusive Economic Zone
Maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which the coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, the seabed and its subsoil and the superjacent waters. Its breadth is 200 nautical miles from the straight baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (UNCLOS, Arts. 55, 56 and 57). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans
Frontex operations
Frontex has, in the past few years, carried out several sea operations at the maritime borders of the EU. The blue shapes indicate the approximate extend of these operations. Data source: Migreurop Altas.
Mobile phone coverage
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network coverage. Data source: Collins Mobile Coverage.
Oil and gas platforms
Oil and gas platforms in the Mediterranean. Data source:
Search and Rescue Zone
An area of defined dimensions within which a given state is has the responsibility to co-ordinate Search and Rescue operations, i.e. the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. Data source: IMO availability of search and rescue (SAR) services - SAR.8/Circ.3, 17 June 2011.
Territorial Waters
A belt of sea (usually extending up to 12 nautical miles) upon which the sovereignty of a coastal State extends (UNCLOS, Art. 2). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans