Breaking! A boat with ~50 people fleeing from Libya just reached out to the Alarm Phone! They are in distress in the Italian #SAR zone and only a few miles from #Lampedusa. There is water entering the boat and the weather conditions are very dangerous. They need immediate rescue!
*CORRECTION*: The people in distress reached out again & shared a corrected GPS position: 35d03m, 12d21m (00.45 CEST), which would then show them in #Malta SAR zone. All authorities should search for the boat to rescue & bring the people in distress to a place of safety!
After 00:45h CEST, we lost contact to the people in distress. Authorities in #Malta & #Italy fail to provide information if a rescue has been launched & about the role of cargo vessel Fuji Bay which was on scene for several hours.
The people have to be rescued without delay!
According to the journalist @AngiKappa an unspecified fishing vessel allegedly rescued the ~50 people in distress, under the coordination of #Malta authorities who requested #Italy to disembark the people in the closest port in #Lampedusa.
Several hours have passed and the rescue operation and port of safety remain unconfirmed by Italian and Maltese authorities. We fear that, once more, political games between #EU member states take priority, not the wellbeing of people who escaped a war-torn country.
According to the press, the Maltese-registered fishing vessel #Tremar rescued a boat in distress, but some claim that 50 people were rescued, others mention ~70 people. It has been reported that two people were evacuated this morning due to medical emergency.
Authorities in #Malta & #Italy refuse to provide any information on the fate of the 50 people who reached out to #AlarmPhone 2 days ago.
The fishing vessel #Tremar was involved in the illegal push-back to #Libya that led to the death of 12 people during the Easter weekend.
We demand full transparency on the situation, and that the rescued will be disembarked to a place of safety in #Europe without further delays!
Europe, stop playing with people's lives for your political games!
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Alarm Phone is contact with 47 people in a boat adrift who fled from #Libya. Weather is extremely dangerous and immediate rescue is needed!!
The merchant vessel BASILIS L is on its way to the boat in distress in order to assist the 47 people. However, we fear that it will return the people to #Libya. They need to be brought to a place of safety, not to the torturous conditions of Libya!
Pullback in the making!!!
The merchant vessel #BasilisL reached the boat but is only monitoring it until the sc Libyan Coastguard arrives to force the people back to #Libya, where they had tried to escape from.
Stop this pullback! They need to be brought to a place of safety!
"Bonjour mon frère, nous sommes dans un bateau et nous avons un problème, s'il vous plaît aidez-nous. Euh, il y a des enfants, des familles - il y a de l’eau qui rentre (dans le bateau) - nous n'avons rien pour le sauvetage pour la sécurité. " @Utopia_56
Le fait que la position initialement donnée par les personnes en détresse était proche de la ligne séparant les eaux françaises et britanniques soulève des questions urgentes sur la coopération entre les services de secours pour effectuer le sauvetage de ce bateau.
Nous tenons à reconnaître les efforts de tous les acteurs de la recherche& sauvetage dans la Manche, dans ce et bien d’autres cas. Il reste néanmoins une question : pourquoi ces 43 personnes et des milliers d'autres ont-elles été obligées d'entreprendre un si dangereux voyage ?
🚩Alarm Phone Statement on the deadly incident in the #Channel today.
“Hello brother we are in a boat and we have a problem please help. Uh, we have children and family … water coming ... we don't have anything for rescue for ... safety.” @Utopia_56 alarmphone.org/en/2022/12/14/…
The fact that the position of the initial rescue operation was on the border line between French and British waters raises urgent questions on the cooperation of the Coastguards to make sure this boat was rescued.
While we ought to recognise the efforts of all search and rescue actors in this case and over the past months in the Channel the final question remains: why were these 43 people and thousands of others forced to make such a dangerous journey?
🆘 Relatives informed us about a group stranded on an islet on #Evros river. The position they sent shows the people on #Greek territory. On the phone, the border guard station of #Soufli promised a quick rescue. We have no direct contact with the group & hope help is on its way!
The officer on duty of the border guard station in #Soufli told us on the phone that they have sent a team to the location but could not find the people. In the past, this line was used to cover up #pushbacks. We are worried - where are these people?
The people called us directly today & appear to be on the Greek bank of #Evros river. They report they are ~40 people incl. 10 children & 16 women, many with serious medical conditions. They say that 2 persons went missing during a #pushback & a woman could give birth any moment.
🆘~70 people adrift in Malta Search and Rescue zone!
Alarm Phone alerted RCC #Malta via email, but, once again, they are not reachable on the phone. The people in distress report that the engine stopped and that they need rescue urgently! Don't waste time, rescue now!
The approximately 70 people were able to restart their engine but have now run out of fuel! They report that one person on board has died, just 25 nautical miles from the Italian SAR. We have alerted authorities several times already - rescue is needed urgently!
🚩Don't forget them at sea!
The ~70 people called us again, nobody came to rescue them yet. The people are suffering as they don't have food and fuel is out as well. We urgently demand to rescue the group to prevent a tragedy at night!
Overnight, the situation became even worse. More people were pushed back to the islet & the group now consists of 70 people. The people reported shootings from border authorities. They still cannot move away from the islet & are exhausted.
We also contacted @Frontex which is active in the region, and asked how they address this situation. We received no answer. Once more, Frontex backs up their partners & their murderous practice.
End the blockade - let them move!
This group continues to be subjected to all kinds of physical & psychological violence. In their last message that came in over night, they report: 'Hell is really here. A little girl died today. She was stung by a scorpion. We couldn't do anything'.