Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 23rd November 2021

Case name: 2021_11_23-WM793

Situation: 52 travellers in distress in the Atlantic Sea, intercepted by the Moroccan navy.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Sea.

Summary: On Tuesday the 23rd November 2021, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of 52 travellers, including eight women, two of which pregnant, in distress in the Atlantic Sea. The travellers had left from Tan Tan the previous morning at around 02.00 CET on a white rubber boat. The relative told us that the travellers were lost at sea. We alerted the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo to the distress of the travellers, forwarding all the information. At 04.20 CET we spoke to the travellers again. They were still at sea and told us that their engine had broken down and they were out of drinking water. We also managed to get their updated GPS position, which we forwarded to Salvamento Maritimo. At 6.22 CET Salvamento Maritimo confirmed to us on the phone that they had sent a rescue vessel, but that they estimated it would take them another two and a half hours to reach the travellers. However, at 10.03 CET Salvamento Maritimo told us that the Moroccan rescue authorities had taken over the responsibility for the operation and were intercepting the travellers. Shortly after, the relative told us that the travellers had been intercepted.