05/11: Shipwreck off Bodrum, Tukrey, at least two people dead

06.11.2021 / 11:04 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 5th of November 2021

Case name: 20211105-AEG838Situation: 10 people in distress near Bodrum, Turkey, 7 people rescued, two people found dead, about two people missing. Status of WTM Investigation: ConcludedPlace of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On the 5th of November at 19:06 CET we were informed about a boat with about 10 people in urgent distress off the Turkish Coast (36°55'28.7"N 27°28'54.6"). At 19:20 CET we forwarded the information about the situation to the Turkish Coast Guard. We unsuccessfully tried to contact the people on the boat. At 20:42 CET the Turkish Coast Guard told us they rescued 7 people from the broken, sinking boat, while the others are missing.

On the 7th and 8th of November one person each was found dead in the sea, that had drowned in the shipwreck. At least one person is still missing.On the 9th of November three survivors of the shipwreck were reportedly imprisoned and only released four days later.

Our thoughts are with the friends and families of the dead or missing, we promise to keep on fighting for freedom of movement for all.

You can find our tweets about the situation here.

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