Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 19th of March 2024
Case name: 2024_03_19-Eastern Med - 122
Situation: 24 people in boat from Libya to Greece probably pulled back to Libya
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case:

In the late afternoon of March 13th, 2024, the Alarm Phone was called by 24 people in a boat that had departed from Libya heading towards Crete, Greece. The people reported that there were high waves and that water was entering their boat. At 18:16 CET, we alterted competent authorities in Italy, Malta, Greece, and Egypt. We also informed the nearby cargo vessel, Alfred, about the distress and asked them to assist the people. In following hours, we contacted additional merchant vessels, some of which reported to have searched for the boat but without success.
Around 20:00 CET, JRCC Cairo informed us that they had received information about the boat from the Hellenic Coast Guard 24 hours earlier already. We managed to reach another merchant vessel, the Nemo 1, which was near the distress location. During the next hours, several relatives called us, asking for help for their loved ones. Throughout the night, we tried to establish contact with the people on the boat again, but without success.
In the morning of the next day, the Egyptian coast guard told us they had sent a vessel to search for the boat in distress, but with no result, despite having searched around the last known position for several hours.
At 15:25 CET in the afternoon, we reached the people again and informed all competent authorities about the new position received. At 22:53 CET, we talked to JRCC Cairo, who informed us that they were still searching actively for the boat and requested assistance from two nearby private ships for the search operation. However, during the night and the next morning, on March 21st, they could not find the boat in distress. In the morning, JRCC Cairo announced that they would stop the search. JRCC Piraeus also said that they could not do anything to support additional search efforts for the boat.
Later that day, the Egyptian Coast Guard informed us that they received a call from the so-called Libyan coast guard informing them that they had found a boat with 23 people on board. We called several units of the so-called Libyan coast guard, but could confirm this information.