Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 7th of September 2015‬

Case name: 2015_09_07-AEG63
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 15 distress cases near the Greek islands of Agathonisi, Lesvos, Leros, Chios, Samos, and Farmakonisi
Status of WTM Investigations: Concluded
Place of Incidents: Aegean Sea

On Monday the 7th of September 2015, the Alarm Phone was alerted to 15 emergency situations in the Aegean Sea – our shift teams worked tirelessly to support the travellers in their dangerous journeys. We have decided to report in greater detail on particularly challenging and novel distress situations and recapitulate the other situations afterwards, in less detail.

Cases near Agathonisi /Greece: In the early hours of the day, our shift team was alerted to three emergency cases near the small Greek island of Agathonisi. It was here that a Syrian baby boy had died a few days earlier after his parents had reached the island but could not receive the urgently needed medical support (source 1). At 3.04am, we were called by a woman from Macedonia who informed us about a distress case near the island. She passed on three phone number which, however, could all not be reached. At 3.19am we informed the Greek coastguards about the situation and also send text messages to all three numbers, advising them to call the international emergency number 112. At 3.52am, the contact person told us that the vessel had reached the island independently by paddling after the engine had broken down. We passed this information on to the Greek coastguards. At 4.20am, we were notified about a group of 10 women, 32 men and 8 children that had stranded on the Agathonisi about an hour earlier and was without water and food. Through our contact person, we advised the group to move toward a nearby village. At 5.20am, Syrian friends informed us about another group that had stranded in the same region but this time on Nera, an even smaller island close to Agathonisi. They were about 40 people, including women and children. We contacted the Greek coastguards and passed on the GPS position of the group.

Summary of other 12 cases: Our shift team was contacted by someone who pointed us to a vessel in distress south of Lesvos, at approximately 1am, carrying 48 people. They were still in Turkish water and in urgent distress – so we informed the Turkish authorities. They confirmed that they had conducted rescue operations in this area of the sea but could not verify whether they had rescued the vessel in question. At 2.22am, our contact person confirmed that they had been rescued by the Turkish coastguards.

At 1.53am our Syrian friends forwarded the GPS position of another vessel in distress and we passed on the information to the Greek coastguards. We were then able to speak to the travellers directly and advised them to call 112. At 2.54am our friends informed us that a rescue operation had been conducted and the group had been transferred to Farmakonisi Island/Greece.

At 3.50am, our Macedonian contact person told us about another case that they were following. At 4.15am they then told us that the vessel’s engine had stopped working so that the vessel was adrift near the island of Samos/Greece. The group paddled toward the island and later on succeeded to switch the engine back on. We assume that they reached the island safely.

At 5.11am, we received a distress message via Facebook but before we could inform the coastguards, the situation was resolved – the travellers had just been rescued.

At 7.51am, we were informed about a group of 53 people, including 12 children and one pregnant woman, who were in distress near Chios island/Greece. We contacted them via WhatsApp and they forwarded their GPS position. We received further details about the same case from another person who contacted us and at 8.30 the Greek coastguards confirmed that they would conduct a rescue operation. The people on board told us that they had run out of drinking water 10 hours earlier. For several hours, the travellers informed us about their situation and we were getting worried about their condition. The Greek coastguards said that they had rescued several groups in the area but not one with 53 people. They told us to contact the Turkish authorities who confirmed that they had reached the boat and evacuated already women and children. They said they would return with a second boat. For hours afterwards the Turkish coastguards could not be contacted and the rescue of the remaining travellers could not be verified.

At 8.34am, Nawal Soufi’s activist collective told us about a distress situation in the Aegean Sea. We passed the GPS position on to Greek coastguards who confirmed that they would conduct a rescue mission. At 1.30pm, the activist collective confirmed that the people had been rescued.

At 1.35pm, we received a distress call through WhatsApp and were notified about 46 people on board of a vessel in distress. At 2.45pm the Greek coastguards said that they had sent a rescue vessel and contacted the Turkish coastguards. Nonetheless, for hours, no further information could be obtained until 9.23pm, when we received a confirmation that the group had been rescued to Greece!

At 8pm we were contacted by someone who told us about 30 people who were trying to reach the tiny Greek island of Frackos. The contact person had lost contact to the travellers himself and about 30 minutes later he was able to receive updated GPS coordinates which we then passed on to the Greek coastguards. They confirmed that they would search for the vessel.

Past 9pm, our shift team was informed about a group of 40 people on a vessel in the Aegean Sea. Still in Turkish waters, we informed the Turkish authorities who said that they had received a distress call in the same area. They were already searching for the group. At 00.20am, the Turkish coastguards confirmed that the group had been rescued and returned to Turkey.

We received another case concerning 40 people in distress at 9.35pm through Nawal’s collective, still in Turkish waters. They asked us to notify the Turkish coastguards who told us in turn that they had already been informed about this vessel. They had sent out a rescue vessel. However, at 11.20pm we received the confirmation that they had been rescued by Greece.

At 9.40pm we were told about a group of 45 people in distress near the island of Leros/Greece. The brother of one of the travellers passed on a phone number as well as GPS coordinates. We informed the Greek coastguards a few minutes later who confirmed that they would send out a vessel to search for the group. However, for several hours no new information could be obtained. At 00.45am, the Greek coastguards, contradicting their earlier confirmation, stated that they had not received any information about this vessel. He also suggested that the vessel was in Turkish waters and thus not Greek responsibility. The rescue of the group could not be verified.

We were then informed about 39 people in distress in the Aegean Sea, near the island of Chios/Greece. The people on board told us that they were approximately 5km close to the island and needed help. We informed the Greek coastguards and at 11.46pm the travellers confirmed that they had been rescued to Chios.