05/01/2024: 33 people pushed back to Turkey

06.01.2024 / 11:53 / Eastern Med

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 5th of January 2024
Case name: 2024_01_05-EASTERN MED - 005
Situation: 33 people in a boat pushed back to Turkey
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Eastern Med, Aegean

Summary of the Case:
In the early morning of the 5th of January, Alarm Phone received a call by a concerned relative, alerting us to a group of 33 people in distress in the sea near the island of Lesvos. At the time of the alert, the caller related that the boat was in big distress. We established direct contact to the group and the people explained that water was entering the boat. They were panicking and asked for urgent help. We alerted immediately Greek authorities at 09:24 CET and called the Hellenic coast guard repeatedly regarding the launch of a rescue operation. The last contact with the people on the boat was a cause of big concern and, despite many attempts thereafter, we couldn't reach them anymore. At the end of the day, the relatives told us that the people had been push backed to turkey, which was also confirmed by the Turkish coast guard. We have not been able to reach the people since the incident.

Last update: 13:01 May 14, 2024

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