29/08: 14 people stuck on an islet in the Evros/Meric river

30.08.2021 / 20:45 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 29th of August 2021

Case name: 20210829-AEG811

Situation: a group of 14 people stuck on an islet, the Greek Border Guards claimed to search for them but didn’t find anyone, we lost contact to the group

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On the 29th of August we were informed about 14 people stuck on a small island in the middle of Evros/Meric river. When, at 14:47 CEST, we reached the people on the island they told us they already called 112 but didn’t receive any help, they were pushed back to this island by the Greek border guards but were unable to reach Turkey as they didn’t have a boat anymore. They tell us they are now stuck there since three days and ran out of food and water, two people are severely injured and they are concerned that a small girl might die from thirst and hunger. At 15:02 CEST we sent a list of names, birthdates and nationalities to the authorities and called the Orestiada Regional Center for Integrated Border Management, they promised to send a boat and motorcycles. We also called the Turkish authorities, but they said they are not going to do anything. At 20:28 CEST the Greek Coastguard claims to not be able to find the people on the island, as it has very thick vegetation, meanwhile the people sent us videos of them vomiting and burning their clothes to be able to light a fire. At 21:20 CEST we lost the contact to the group on the island. Only on 3rd of September we receive the confirmation that the people are back in Turkey. Relatives also told us that the Greek Coastguard was forcing people in large numbers to this islet these days, using dogs and violence.

Twitter timeline:

https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1431992311425257473

https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1432666067193708552

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