Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 18th of January 2024 

Case name: 2024_01_18-EASTERN MED - 023
Situation: Around 20 people pushed back to Turkey by the Hellenic Coast Guard
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded 

Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case:
In the very early morning of the 18th of January, Alarm Phone was contacted by a worried relative, alerting us to a group of around 20 people in distress near the Greek island of Chios. The relative sent us a GPS position and a video. Shortly after, the relative contacted us again and told us they had just been in contact with the group, who reported that they had been pushed back by the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) and that the Turkish Coast Guard (TCG) had arrived on the scene.

At 04:11 CET we alerted the relevant authorities via Email. We then reached out to the Group who told us that they had been taken by the TCG. At 04:29 CET we called the HCG in Piraeus who told us that they were investigating the situation, whilst at the same time the person from the boat told us that they were already in Çeşme, in Turkey. When we called Piraeus again at 05:20 CET the officer told us that they had searched for the group but found none, they got angry with us and accused us of sending the position with the wrong timestamp on it.