Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 9th of August 2022
Case name: 2022_08_09_EasternMed_959
Situation: Pushback of two groups of travellers, in total 61 people near Bodrum
Place of Incident: Eastern Med
Summary of the Case:

On the 9th of August relatives alerted Alarm Phone to a boat with around 40 travellers on board that was in distress after having been pushed back from Greek waters. They reported that the engine had been removed and the boat demobilised after having been towed back to Turkish waters. They shared a location in Turkish waters and said that the people needed urgent assistance. Among the group were four babies and two pregnant women.

At 01:30 CEST we alerted the Turkish Coast Guard by email and a few minutes later by phone call.

Later, the Turkish Coastguard reported that on the 9th of August 2022, at 03.10 a.m. local time, they had found a group on board inflatable boats off the coast of Muğla’s Bodrum district. They had been pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greek assets. In totally 61 people on two inflatable boats were brought back to Turkey, among them had been the group we were alerted to.

We never managed to establish direct contact with the travellers themselves.