Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 16th of November 2015

Case name: 2015_11_16-AEG131
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 9 boats in distress near Chios, Lesvos and Kastellorizo
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Monday the 16th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 9 groups of travellers in distress in the Aegean Sea. Two groups went back to Turkey independently or were rescued and returned by the Turkish coastguard. 6 boats were rescued by the Greek coastguard or Greek fishing vessels, while one group was rescued after having stranded on the Greek island of Kastellorizo.

At 4.40am a contact person called the Alarm Phone, informing us about a boat in distress close to the Greek island of Chios, with 37 travellers on board (case 1). According to the caller the Greek coastguard had already approached the boat, but disappeared afterwards. While we were not able to talk to the travellers on board directly, we called the Greek coastguard in Piraeus at 4.45am and alerted them to this boat. They told us that they were aware of the boat and had instructed a patrol vessel to look for it. At 5.10am our contact person informed us that a Greek fishing vessel had rescued the boat in distress. However, at 5.35am we learned via Facebook that two travellers went over board. While one person was saved, another one seemed to be still in the waters. We talked again to the Greek coastguard and forwarded the latest development. The told us that they were not aware of a missing person. Finally, at 6.30am we learned that the missing person had swum back to Turkey and had safely arrived at the Turkish coast.

Travellers in distress close to the Turkish coast called us directly at 5am (case 2). They were very stressed and asked for immediate help. Although they were not able to provide us their coordinates, we agreed to inform the Turkish coastguard. However, before we were able to do so, we received the position of the boat and forwarded it to the Turkish coastguard at 5.25am. At 6.40am we learned from them that they had rescued a boat in the area in question, but we were not sure, whether it was the boat that had called us. However, at 8.10am the travellers confirmed to us directly, that they had been rescued by the Turkish coastguard and that they were fine.

At about the same time, at 5.07am, we received a WhatsApp message alerting us to a boat in distress close to the Turkish coast and were also asked to inform the Turkish coastguard (case 3). However, 10 minutes later we learned that the boat’s engine had started again and we were asked not to inform the coastguard. The travellers went back to the Turkish coast independently. Their safe return to Turkey was confirmed to us at 9am.

At 9.35am a contact person alerted us to another boat in distress close to Chios, with 50 travellers on board (case 4). The contact person forwarded two phone numbers of the travellers to us and told us, that he had already informed the Greek coastguard. We tried to talk to the travellers directly at 9.45am but were not successful. Thus, we wrote an email to the coordination center of the Greek coastguard in order to confirm the distress call of the contact person. At 11.20am he informed us, that the travellers had been saved by the Greek coastguard and had safely arrived on Chios.

At 10.15am the same contact person forwarded two phone numbers and the coordinates of another boat in distress to us, which was in Greek waters north of the island of Lesvos (case 5). Furthermore, he informed us that there were 53 people on board, among them 9 women and 18 children. Attempts to call the travellers directly were not successful, however, at 10.35am we received updated coordinates from the contact person and realized that the boat had gone further south in the direction of Lesvos. At 10.40am we informed the Greek coastguard via email, but already at 10.50am the contact person informed us that the travellers had safely arrived on Lesvos on their own.

At 3pm we were informed by various contact persons on another boat in distress close to Chios, with 50 persons on board and were provided with two phone numbers (case 6). We informed the Greek coastguard in Piraeus immediately afterwards both by phone and by email and they promised to investigate the case. However, we were not able to reach the travellers directly. At 4.20pm we talked again to the Greek coastguard and learned that they had searched in the area but had not found a boat in distress at the given coordinates, suggesting that the boat might have already arrived on the island of Chios. However, at about 7pm several contact persons confirmed to us that the Greek coastguard had indeed rescued the travellers.

At 3pm we were also informed about a boat in distress north of Lesvos with 45 people on board (case 7). However, at 3.25pm we learned from a contact person that the travellers had been rescued by a Greek fishing vessel.

In the evening of this day, at 10.30pm, a contact person informed us about a group of 30 men, 10 women and 7 children, who had stranded on the Greek island of Kastellorizo (case 8). In a direct phone call with the travellers we learned that they were safe, but that they could not stay on the shore overnight. At 10.45pm we reached the local police on the island. The told us that they only have one car and were not able to pick up the travellers. They would either have to climb up the rocky shore in order to reach the closest road or they have to call the coastguard, which would then pick them up by boat. In a call to the island’s port authorities we learned that their only vessel had broken down and that they were not able to pick up the travellers. They told us that the group has to wait until the next day. We informed the travellers accordingly and they decided stay wait until the next day. At the next day, at 8am, we talked again to the port authorities of Kastellorizo and were told that they would pick up the group by boat as soon as possible. Rescue of the group was confirmed at 12.30am.

At 11.20pm of the same day we were alerted to a group in distress in Greek waters between the islands of Farmakonisi and Agathonisi (case 9). We called the travellers on board and were asked to immediately call the coastguard. We informed the Greek rescue coordination centre in Piraeus via mail and phone at 11.30pm and were told that they were already aware of this boat. At 0.15am we received a Facebook message stating that the travellers had run out of fuel. We forwarded this information to the coastguard and, at 0.40am we learned that they had rescued the boat.