Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th of October 2017

Case name: 2017_10_13-AEG313
Situation: 30 travellers rescued to Lesvos, after arriving on a smaller island.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Friday the 13th of October 2017, at 11.00pm, a contact person alerted the Alarm Phone shift team to a group of travellers in distress, forwarding us their position and phone number. At 11.15pm we reached the travellers, who told us that they were 30 people on the boat, and that one girl onboard was sick. They were doing okay for the time being, but asked us to contact the Greek coast guard. At 11.18pm we called the Greek coast guard and passed on the information we had. They told us that the position of the boat was in Turkish waters, and that they therefore would call the Turkish coast guard. At 11.20pm we asked the travellers to send us their current position, and after having double checked that this position was in Greek waters, we contacted the Greek coast guard again, and forwarded them the new position both via phone and email.
At 12am we contacted an Alarm Phone activist who is currently at Lesvos, and who was also already involved with the case. Shortly afterwards we spoke to the travellers again, who informed us that they had arrived at an island, and that the coast guard was with them. However, we learned from the Alarm Phone activist on Lesvos that it was not the coast guard, but the solidarity group Refugee Rescue who were with the travellers. The travellers had not arrived at Lesvos, but to a smaller island, and, due to the shallow water, the Pro Activa and Mo Chara vessels could not approach the island. Therefore, they asked us to communicate to the travellers that they needed to board their boat again and return to open water from where the Greek coast guard could pick them up and bring them to Lesvos. At 0.32am we called the travellers and explained this, and at 0.48m the Alarm Phone activist confirmed that the travellers were rescued and would be brought to Lesvos.