28/10: Boat with 21 people in distress in Greek waters, pushed back to Turkey

29.10.2021 / 10:53 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 28th of October 2021

Case name: 20211028-AEG836
Situation: 21 travellers were in distress in Greek waters, then pushed back to Turkish waters and taken to Turkey by the Turkish Coast Guard.Status of WTM Investigation: ConcludedPlace of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: On the 28th of October at 01:14 CEST we were informed about 21 people, among them 6 children, in distress in the North of Rhodes (36°25'29.4"N 27°53'23.1"E) by a relative of people on that boat. We tried to reach the travellers and as we weren't successful, we forwarded the case to the Hellenic Coast Guard at 01:50 CEST. During the night we call the Coast Guard in Rhodos as well as the Coast Guard in Symi.At 03:33 CEST we received a new position from the people on the boat, which was in Turkish waters. The people told us that, while water was entering their boat, the Hellenic Coast Guard "tore up" their boat and left them adrift in Turkish waters. We forwarded the distress case to the Turkish Coast guard who at 05:20 CEST confirmed that they were about to take the people on board to Turkey.

On the 24th of November we got in contact with one person from the boat again, who testified:
„We were on a rubber boat with 24 people with 3 children and 3 km in front of the Greek coast our motor stopped working. We called the Greek Coastguard and they came. But the Greek Coastguard came and they have beaten us up heavily, took our phones and our private belongings and insulted us. They screamed at us and insulted us: „We don‘t want you here, we get money from the EU to let you drown, why are you coming here?“ Then the Greek Coastguard destroyed our boat and we were drifting and were in big danger. Then the Turkish Coastguard came and if the Turkish Coastguard would have been there 30 minutes later, we would have been drowned and died already. The Turkish Coastguard took us on a vessel, gave us food, water, juice and clothes and took us back to Turkey.“

Last update: 10:58 Dec 12, 2021

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