Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 10th July 2022

Case name: 2022_10_07-ATL067

Situation: 40 travellers in distress in the Atlantic, intercepted by the Moroccan navy after spending many days at sea.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the case: On Monday the 11th of July 2022, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by a relative to a group of 40 travellers, including seven women and six children, in distress in the Atlantic Ocean. The travellers had left from around Tan Tan on the 9th of July in the evening on a white rubber boat. We managed to reach the travellers who gave us their GPS position and told us that water was entering their boat and that they were out of fuel and therefore adrift. We immediately alerted the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo to the distress situation. We then called the Moroccan rescue authorities who told us that they had an asset in the area and would proceed to the position we had provided.

Throughout the night and morning, we stayed in contact with the travellers, but communication was difficult due to poor connection. When possible, we updated the rescue authorities with the position of the boat. At 10.00 CEST the Moroccan resuce authorities informed us that they had a lot of operations ongoing, and could not confirm that they would come to this boat. In the meantime, the situation onboard was deteriorating, as the weather was getting increasingly bad. Soon after, we lost contact to the boat.

Only the following day did we learn from the relative that the travellers had been intercepted by the Moroccan navy. This was confirmed by Salvamento Maritimo.