Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 28th May 2021
Case name: 2021_05_28-CM448
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted a wooden boat with 110 travellers in distress. All were rescued by the Tunisian coastguard.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Central Mediterranean

Summary of the case:
On Friday the 28th of May 2021 at 10.00 CEST, the Alarm Phone shift team received a direct call from a group of travellers in distress in the Central Mediterranean Sea. They were 110 travellers, including six women and five children, travelling on a wooden boat since 03.00 local time the same morning. They told us that they were almost out of fuel, and that they had no more food left and only a little bit of drinking water. In addition, they told us that the weather was bad with strong wind and high waves and that they needed urgent rescue. They gave us their GPS position, showing that they were in Tunisian waters. We therefore forwarded them the number of the Tunisian coastguard. In addition, at 10.46 CEST, we sent an email to the relevant rescue authorities alerting them to the distress of the travellers and forwarding all information we had. We managed to stay in contact with the travellers, and sent an email to the authorities with updated position at 11.10 CEST. At 11.25 CEST we spoke to the travellers again. They told us that the Tunisian coastguard had arrived and that they were all alright. A little later we called the Tunisian coastguard who confirmed that they were on scene and that the rescue operation was ongoing.