Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th of August 2023
Case name: 2023_08_13-WM051
Situation: The whereabouts of a boat departed from Oran with 13 people is still not fully clarified
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean

Summary of the Case: On the 13th of August 2023, a relative alerted the Alarmphone to a group of travellers in distress in the Western Mediterranean. The group of around 13 people had departed from Oran, Algeria, in a rubber boat on the 12th of August. When the relative called the Alarmphone shift team, the boat was still about an hour from Almeria and had major engine problems - the shift team alerted and immediately forwarded this information to the Spanish search and rescue organization Salvamento Maritimo. Having already alerted, the shift team received the phone numbers of the travelers and also forwarded this information to the relevant authorities. On the evening of the 13th, the relative passed on the information to the shift team that the people had been rescued and were now detained in Murcia - but neither the relative nor the shift team could confirm this information, as the authorities did not share the information needed to ascertain the whereabouts of the thirteen or so people. Over the next few days, the shift teams tried to find out what had happened to the people by contacting various authorities and the Spanish Red Cross, but to this day it is not clear to the Alarmphone if this boat has arrived at its destination - we sincerely hope that the relatives have clarity and that the travelers have arrived safely.

Tweets about this case: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1691897030229037514?s=20