Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations –28th October 2020

Case name: 2020_10_28-WM514

Situation: 6 travellers that had departed from Temsaman Beach, Al Hoceima, were rescued to Motril. 

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Western Mediterranean Sea

Summary of the Case: In the late evening of Wednesday the 28th of February the Alarm Phone was alerted to a grey rubber boat in distress that had departed in the early afternoon from Al Hoceima, Morocco, carrying 5 or 6 travellers. Our shift team tried to establish direct contact with the travellers, but their phones were unfortunately not reachable. At 22h50 CET we therefore informed the Spanish Search and Rescue organisation Salvamento Marítimo (SM) via phone and via email about the case. Later in the night we spoke with a relative of one of the travellers that clarified that the people on board were 5, and not 6 as previously mentioned. Further, we were told that the travellers were close to Motril. Our shift team immediately passed on this information to SM via email and then by phone. When we called SM at 2h56 CET,  the officer who answered our call suggested that we tell the travellers to call emergency number 112. A few minutes later, at 3h25 CET SM called us back and told us that their Search and Rescue airplane who was checking the area had found a boat with 5 people on boat. The boat seemed to be following a merchant vessel, we were thus asked to ask the relative who contacted us to ask the people if they could see the airplane and vessel. The relative then confirmed to us that the boat was next to the vessel. We called back SM to pass this information and the officer confirmed that the merchant vessel would stay near by until a rescue ship would arrive. At 06h44 SM confirmed that the people had been rescued ! They were finally 6 travellers and not 5.