Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 21th of October 2019
Case name: 2019_10_21-AEG602
Situation: 60 travellers, including 20 children landed on Samos and were eventually rescued by Greek coastguard.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case: In the morning of Monday the 21st of October the Alarm Phone was alerted to a boat carrying approximately 60 travellers including 20 children. At 6.22am CEST we established contact with the boat but had communication difficulties due to language. At 6.29am we nevertheless informed the Greek coastguard about the distress case. At the 7.07am our shift team received the information that the travellers had arrived on land on Samos but still needed help as the children were very cold. There was also a disabled elderly person with the group. At 9.10am we spoke again to the Greek coastguard who informed us that a patrol vessel checked the area but the travellers were too far inland and it was not possible for the patrol boat to approach the coast as there were too many rocks. At 1.25pm the coastguard called us back and informed our shift team that the travellers had been rescued, however we did not obtain final confirmation from the travellers themselves as they were no longer reachable.