Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th of October 2015

Case name: 2015_10_30-AEG114
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 14 boats in distress near the Greek islands of Samos, Chios, Lesvos and Agathonisi
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Friday the 30th of October 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 14 boats in distress in the Aegean Sea, near the Greek islands of Samos, Chios, Lesvos and Agathonisi. In three cases the travellers eventually arrived on Greek islands independently and one group returned to Turkey after their engine had broken down. The Greek coastguard rescued 4 boats and the Turkish coastguard 3 boats. In three other cases we were not able to establish contact to the travellers following the initial distress calls.

At 2.10am a contact person informed us about a rubber boat in distress north of the Greek island of Samos, with 36 travellers on board (case 1). The boat had lost air and the travellers were in severe danger. The contact person was in direct contact with the travellers and also forwarded us two phone numbers. We called the travellers at 2.17am and they repeated that we should call for help immediately. At 2.20am we forwarded our information to the Greek coastguard in Piraeus and they promised to search the boat in distress. They also asked us to call back if we learn that the traveller had arrived on land. At 2.46am we told the travellers that we had informed the coastguard. They asked how long it would take until they will be rescued. We admitted that we do not know, but asked for updated coordinates. Starting from 3.15am the travellers sent us several updated GPS-positions. We realized that they were heading towards Samos with an approximate speed of 12 kilometers per hour. At 3.30am we forwarded the latest coordinates to the Greek coastguard. In the following two hours we were neither able to reach the travellers via phone nor via WhatsApp. But at 5.45am we learned from the Greek coastguard that all boats in distress around Samos had been rescued. At 5.50am we wrote a message to the travellers via WhatsApp. At 6am they replied, saying “Thank you” and forwarded a new position. It was on Samos, thus they had indeed been rescued.

At 4.40am a contact person from the network ‘Safe the Refugees’ called us and informed us about a boat in distress southeast of Chios, with 35 people on board (case 2). She had lost contact to the travellers ten minutes ago and asked whether she should alert the Turkish coastguard. Unfortunately she was not able to provide us with a phone number of the travellers. However, she also told us that the travellers had explicitly asked her not to call the Turkish coastguard. We recommended as well not to do so, but also provided her with several numbers of the Turkish coastguard. In the following hours we stayed in touch with the contact person and once received updated coordinates. However, we did not get any new information on the fate of the travellers on board.

At 4.55am another contact person alerted us to a boat whose engine had stopped very close to the Turkish coast near Çeşme, with 42 travellers on board (case 3). We were also provided with two phone numbers, tried to call the travellers at 5am and sent a WhatsApp message at 5.10am. But at 5.15am we learned from the contact person that the travellers had returned to the Turkish coast by themselves.

At 6am we were called by a man whose family was on board of a boat together with 60 travellers heading for Lesvos (case 4). He provided us with two phone numbers but was not able to give us their coordinates. Half an hour later we called him back and he told us that he had been in contact with the travellers. He had heard a lot of screaming but did not get any further information on their situation. But he stressed that we should not inform the Turkish coastguard, as the group did not want to be returned to Turkey. At 7.30am we mentioned this boat in a call with the Greek coastguard in Mytilini but were not able to provide them with coordinates. At 10am the contact person told us that the group had arrived on a Greek island and was provided with food and water by a local. He also mentioned that they would call the emergency number 112 if they need further help.

At 6.45am a contact person alerted us to a boat in distress north of Lesvos, with 100 travellers on board (case 5). He had lost contact to the boat and asked us to inform the Greek coastguard. After several unsuccessful attempts we reached and informed the coastguard on Lesvos at 7.30am. At 9.40am we learned that they had rescued the travellers and that they had arrived on Lesvos.

At 7.20am a contact person called us, informing us about a boat in distress near Lesvos, with 85 persons on board, among them infants (case 6). He provided us with a Turkish phone number but had no coordinates. In a call to the coastguard in Mytilini we forwarded the number but the coastguard said that they could not call Turkish phone numbers. At 8am we talked to the contact person again and learned that the travellers had seen a Greek helicopter above them and waited to be rescued. However, at 8.40am, the contact informed us that the travellers had arrived on an island themselves. We advised him that they should call 112 in case of further problems.

At 7.40am a contact person from Molivos on the northern shore of Lesvos called the Alarm Phone, informing us about a boat in distress in front of the Turkish coast (case 7). At about the same time we were also alerted to this boat via Facebook. Apparently the Turkish coastguard had refused to conduct a rescue operation because the boat was too far off the Turkish coast. We tried to alert the Greek coastguard in Molivos and in Mytilini, but both did not pick up. Eventually, we called the Turkish coastguard. They were already aware of this boat and had sent a rescue vessel. According to them the vessel might have not arrived due to the bad weather conditions. However, in another call with the Turkish coastguard at midday we learned that the boat in distress was rescued and that the travellers had been returned to Turkey.

At 9.45am a member of Nawal Soufi’s network called us and alerted us to boat in distress north of Samos (case 8). We tried to call the travellers directly several times but were not successful. The contact person had lost connection to the travellers as well, thus unfortunately we were not able to intervene in this case.

One hour later we were informed about another boat in distress close to Samos via Facebook (case 9). We called the travellers directly and learned that their engine had stopped. They were 45 people, among them many children. Immediately afterwards we called the Greek coastguard in Piraeus and provided them with the coordinates and the phone number of the boat. At 10.50am we talked to the travellers again, who were very much in panic and did not get a call from the coastguard yet. At 11am we also wrote an e-mail to the Greek coastguard and the UNHCR in Greece, informing them about the boat in distress. In another call to the Greek coastguard we were told that a rescue vessel had arrived at the boat’s position. However, afterwards we were not able to reach the travellers again and are thus not able to confirm their rescue.

At 11.10am we received the phone number and position of a boat in distress southeast of Chios via WhatsApp (case 10). At 11.15am we called the Greek coastguard in Piraeus, they took the phone number and the coordinates and promised to conduct a rescue operation. At 12.40pm we learned from the person who had initially informed us that the travellers had safely arrived on Chios.

At the same time we were alerted to another boat in distress in the same area via Facebook (case 11). We informed the Greek coastguard and were told that this boat had already been rescued. At 11.45am our contact person also confirmed the rescue.

In the afternoon two contact persons informed us about a boat in distress near the Turkish coast, with 90 travellers on board (case 12). We called the Turkish coastguard at 3.30pm, but they knew about the boat and had already started a rescue operation. At 5.45pm one of our contact persons confirmed that the travellers had been rescued to Turkey.

In the evening, at 8.50pm, we were alerted to a boat in distress with 56 travellers on board, whose engine had stopped in Turkish waters east of Agathonisi (case 13). We talked to the travellers and informed them that they were still in Turkish waters. They asked us to alert the Turkish coastguard. We called the coastguard at 9.15pm, but they were already working on this case. 10 minutes later also our contact person informed us that the coastguard had started to rescue the travellers.

At 9.30pm a contact person called us, informed us about another boat in distress east of Chios and provided us with a phone number and coordinates (case 14). However, despite several attempts, we were neither able to reach the travellers nor to establish contact to the caller again. As there were some questions concerning the reliability of the caller and we had no further information, we were not able to become active in this case.