03/08: 1 man injured close to the Greek Turkish border

04.08.2021 / 05:17 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 3rd of August 2021

Case name: 20210803-AEG801

Situation: 1 man in distress in the woods near the Turkish Greek border, fate unclear

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

In the evening of the 3rd of August we were informed by a relative that one man with a broken leg and without food and water was in the woods close to the Turkish Greek border since 24 hours. We were not able to establish contact to the person. After we unsuccessfully tried to inform the authorities in Soufli via phone, we sent an email.In the morning we were informed that the position is not under the jurisdiction of the Soufli border guard station, so we inform Didymoteicho border guard station. When we call again in the late afternoon they tell us they found no one. We called again in the evening, they still stated they didn't find anyone and told us we should call the Policestation Orestiada for more information. At the Policestation Orestiada they didn't speak english so we couldn't get information from them at this point

When we called again the Policestation Orestiada in the morning of the 5th of August, they said that there was no ongoing search from their side at the moment and advised us to call Soufli again. Until now we couldn't reach the person in distress nor did we get more information from the authorities.

Credibility:

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