Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 15th June 2023

Case name: 2023_06_15-ATL037

Situation: Around 50 travellers in distress in the Atlantic Ocean, fate unknown.

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Atlantic Ocean

Summary of the case: On Thursday the 15th of June 2023, the Alarm Phone shift team was alerted by relatives to a group of around 50 travellers, including five women, in distress in the Atlantic Ocean. The travellers had left from Agadir towards Lanzarote on the 11th of June on a wooden boat, and the relatives had had no news since. We were not able to establish contact to the boat, but immediately alerted the Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo, relaying all the information we had. The following morning, the Guardia Civil confirmed to us that they were commencing a search operation with an aircraft and a boat. In the evening, Salvamento Maritimo confirmed that the operation was still ongoing, but that there was no news so far. The Moroccan rescue authorities had no news about the boat either. The following day we stayed in contact with relatives who got increasingly desperate for news, and with Spanish and Moroccan rescue authorities who could not confirm the rescue of the boat. We contacted the Spanish Red Cross, asking them to identify some of the travellers based on information we received from their relatives. As we feared the boat had missed the Canary Islands, we alerted the Portuguese coastguard as well, but they had no news either. After more than two weeks, we were forced to close the case without knowing the fate of the travellers. We hope they somehow made it to shore, but fear that they have become part of the devastating number of people losing their life in the Atlantic whilst exercising their right to freedom of movement. All our thoughts and solidarity are with their friends and families.

Tweets about this case: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1669976623523807233?t=-g60jSr7Ow--bwthIh02Bw&s=09