Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 18th of May 2024
Case name: 2024_05_18-WM012
Situation: Group of 37 travellers stuck on Alboran island for days were eventually rescued to Spanish mainland.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean

Summary of the Case: On the 18th of May, a relative alerted the Alarm Phone shift team to a distress case on the Alboran island. It concerned a group of around 37 people who had set off from Nador, Morocco, on the 15th of May. The group had not had anything to eat or drink for three days and were in a difficult situation. The shift team passed the information on to the relevant authorities and then tried again and again to reach the group of travellers - without success. The Spanish search and rescue organisation Salvamento Maritimo informed the shift team that the group was now under the supervision of the military and that Salvamento Maritimo would set out to rescue the group as soon as the weather improved. After that, it became increasingly unclear what was happening to the people on the military island - there was still no contact. The people seemed to be stuck on the island. A few days later, a relative reported to the Alarm Phone that seven women had been taken off the island by helicopter. Shortly afterwards, the Alarm Phone learned that the people had all been taken to Motril, Spain.

Tweets about this case: https://x.com/alarm_phone/status/1792133714178175353