Watch the Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 29th of January 2024
Case name: 2024_01_29-Eastern Med - 044
Situation: 53 people (including 24 men, 8 women and 21 children) stranded on Barbalias, an islet near Lesvos, arrived at camp
Status of WTM Investigation : Concluded
Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case:
In the very early hours of the 29th of January, the Alarm Phone was called by a group of 53 people, including 24 men, 8 women and 21 children, who were stranded on Barbalias, an islet very close to Lesvos in Greece. We were informed that some of them were injured and in need of urgent medical assistance. We sent an email to inform Greek authorities, Frontex and NGOs on the island of the group’s situation and location, informing them that the people needed medical attention and wanted to claim asylum in Greece. A few hours later we received a current position from the people who had moved closer to the shore as they had seen a boat approaching the islet, but it left again. We forwarded the new position to the authorities and NGOs.
At 09:12 CET we published their situation on Twitter.
From a relative, who had been in regular contact with the group we learned that around 10:00 CET they were on a ship from the Greek Coast Guard, and they were afraid of being pushed back to Turkish waters. When the group had internet in between they managed to sent positions to the relative who forwarded them to us, which showed them going in the direction of Mytilene. Around noon we learned from the relative that they had arrived at camp.