15/10: 1 person in distress near Soufli – unclear outcome, possible pushback

16.10.2022 / 18:48 / Eastern Med

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 15th of October 2022
Case name: 2022_10_15-Eastern Med - 1036
Situation: 1 person with breathing problems near Soufli – unclear outcome, possible pushback
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded Place of Incident: Eastern Med – Evros region

Summary of the Case:
In the evening of October 15th, 2022, the Alarm Phone received information about a person in distress near Soufli, in the Evros region of Greece. The person reported to us that they were experiencing breathing issues. We informed authorities about the situation and shared his position. Shortly after, we lost contact with the person. When we tried to reach him the next morning, we were still unable to make contact. During the day of October 16th, we called various border guard and police stations without success. We either could not reach anybody, or did not get any information. We were just told that they will forward the information to the responsible authorities. On October 17th, we manage to talk to the officer on duty of the Didymoticho police station. The officer told us that they found and arrested the man near Soufli, and advised us to call the police station there. The officer on duty in Soufli refused to give us any info over the phone. As we still could not reach the person and had no other means of communication, we closed this case with unclear outcome.

Last update: 18:50 Apr 25, 2023

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