08/07: 35 people in distress close to Greece, Greek authorities refuse to give information

09.07.2020 / 14:18 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 8th of July 2020

Case name: 2020_07_08-AEG688
Situation: 35 travelers (one pregnant woman) in distress between Rhodes and Saria, three boats standing by without rescuing, Greek authorities refuse to give out information.
Status of WTM Investigation: Unconfirmed
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On 8th of July 2020 a relative of a person on a boat in distress contacted the Alarm Phone. Reportedly, there were 35 persons on board, among them women and children. Our shift team received a GPS location and a phone number of the travelers. Their GPS was located between Rhodes and Saria Island in the shared Search and Rescue Zone between Greece and Turkey, in international waters. We learned that there was a pregnant woman in critical condition. Our shift team tried to call the travelers, but without success. At 10:23h CEST we called the Greek coastguard. The Greek coastguard replied that they were “investigating” and would not give any information to us. At 10:32h, we called the Turkish coastguard as well and learned that they did not have any operations in the area concerned. We still could not re-establish the contact to the travelers. At 12:15h we called the Greek authorities again, and they repeated to be “investigating”. At 12:45h, the relative called us, telling that there were three boats around the travelers, observing them without taking measures for their rescue. Fifteen minutes later, the relative reported to have lost contact to the travelers once more. At 13:10h, we called the Greek coastguard again, telling them, the people needed immediate help, and that we knew about the situation of three boats standing by without rescuing. They repeated to be “investigating”. Still not having news from the travelers, at 13:53h, we called again Turkish authorities. They had no information about a boat with 35 travelers and said that they normally did not move into this area close to Rhodes. At 14:00h we sent an e-mail with all our information on the case to the coastguards and the UNHCR in Turkey and in Greece. For the next hours, neither our shift team nor the relative could re-establish the contact to the travelers. At 17:30h we called the Greek coastguards’ office on Tilos, the island close to the GPS location of the travelers, and on Rhodes but they did not have information about a distress case in the area. At 17:35h the UNHCR Turkey replied to our e-mail, asking if we had updated information on the whereabouts of the group. At 19:33h we called the Greek coastguard again, and they claimed to be still “investigating”. We should give them information if we had any while they stated that they would not give us any. Meanwhile, the travelers could still not be reached. During the night and the next day, neither we nor the relative could get in touch with the travelers and until now, we have to remain without any clear information about the whereabouts of the people. We are still investigating to find out what happened to the travelers.

Twitter Chronology:
13:55h - https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1280832926591188992
22:42h - https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1280965430547537921
Last update: 13:36 Oct 23, 2020
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • Border police patrols
     
    While the exact location of patrols is of course constantly changing, this line indicates the approximate boundary routinely patrolled by border guards’ naval assets. In the open sea, it usually correspond to the outer extent of the contiguous zone, the area in which “State may exercise the control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws” (UNCLOS, art. 33). Data source: interviews with border police officials.
  • Coastal radars
     
    Approximate radar beam range covered by coastal radars operating in the frame of national marine traffic monitoring systems. The actual beam depends from several different parameters (including the type of object to be detected). Data source: Finmeccanica.
  • Exclusive Economic Zone
     
    Maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which the coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, the seabed and its subsoil and the superjacent waters. Its breadth is 200 nautical miles from the straight baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (UNCLOS, Arts. 55, 56 and 57). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans
  • Frontex operations
     
    Frontex has, in the past few years, carried out several sea operations at the maritime borders of the EU. The blue shapes indicate the approximate extend of these operations. Data source: Migreurop Altas.
  • Mobile phone coverage
     
    Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network coverage. Data source: Collins Mobile Coverage.
  • Oil and gas platforms
     
    Oil and gas platforms in the Mediterranean. Data source:
  • Search and Rescue Zone
     
    An area of defined dimensions within which a given state is has the responsibility to co-ordinate Search and Rescue operations, i.e. the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. Data source: IMO availability of search and rescue (SAR) services - SAR.8/Circ.3, 17 June 2011.
  • Territorial Waters
     
    A belt of sea (usually extending up to 12 nautical miles) upon which the sovereignty of a coastal State extends (UNCLOS, Art. 2). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans