25/03: 50 travelers started from Laayoune towards Canary islands, zodiac loses air, fate unknown

26.03.2021 / 12:41 / Western Mediterranean Sea / Canary Islands

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 25th of March 2021

Case name: 2021_03_25-WM576

Situation: 50 travelers (among them 10 women (1 pregnant) and at least two minors) left from Laayoune towards Canary islands. Relative lost contact and zodiac was losing air. Missing for one week, then search operation stopped.

Status of WTM Investigation: Unconfirmed

Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea/Canary islands

Summary of the case:
On the 25th of March 2021 at 23:00h CET, the Alarm Phone was called by the husband of a woman on a boat. The man had lost contact to the people.The group of 50 travelers had started from Laayoune, Western
Sahara/Morocco towards the Canary Islands on the 24th of March at 04:00h CET in the early morning. According to the caller, there were 10 women and at least two minors, the boat was a black zodiac. There was the information that the zodiac was losing air. The husband passed us two phone numbers on board.The next morning (26th March) at 09:25h, our shift team called the Spanish Search and Rescue organization Salvamento Marítimo (SM) on Las Plamas to ask of there had been a rescue matching this case. SM Las Palmas informed us that they had not found this boat. At 09:47h CET, we sent all information to them via e-mail. During the day, the travelers were not reachable, but our shift team received some names from people on the boat. At 16:29h CET, we talked to SM Las Palmas again to ask them about a rescue that was documented in the media. It turned out it was not our case, because the colour of the boat was not matching. SM Las Palmas confirmed that they were still searching for our case. We
communicated this information to the husband who had called us. At 19.45h and at 22:40h CET, SM did not have news on this case. During the night, we could still not get through to the travelers. The next morning (27.03.), at 09:06h CET, SM Las Palmas did still not have news for the boat. They said they were going to send out a search airplane. At 12:30h CET, they had still not spotted the boat. The travelers were still not reachable. At 17:25h CET, we talked to SM Las Palmas again. They confirmed the rescue of eight boats with departure from Morocco, one of which carried 50 people. To get more details, we should call the Guardia Civil. We reached them at 18:20h CET. They said that they knew about a similar case that was still out at sea without rescue in sight. At 22:00h CET, the husband told us that he was also calling many authorities without results. He was very worried.

28.03.29.03. 30.03., 31.03. 01.04, 03.04.:
Over the next six days, neither we nor the husband could find out more about the fate of the group and none of the rescues to the Canary Islands matched. Also the Moroccan authorities did not have news. On the 3rd of April, we received the information from the Guardia Civil that the search operation for this boat was ended. So, our shift team closed the case and the fate of the travelers remains unclear.

Twitter chronology:
01.04.2021,12:50h CET:
https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1377574046989189126
https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1377574049694498818

Last update: 10:51 Aug 22, 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