Alarm Phone explains December 14 shipwreck, mourns victims

Alarm Phone, has provided information about the December 14 shipwreck in Zuwara, Libya

While mourning the victims, Alarm Phone sent condolences to the relatives and friends of the dead saying that “they may never learn what happened to their loved ones.”

The Alarm Phone’s account about the incident reads:
On 14 December 2023, from 17:00h CET on, Alarm Phone received several calls from a group in distress who had left from Zuwarah in Libya on a white rubber boat. The situation on board this overcrowded boat was extremely dangerous, not least due to the rough sea.

Once we were able to receive their GPS position, N 33°26’57.60 E 012°05’25.80, Alarm Phone informed authorities in Italy, Malta, Libya and the NGO rescue vessel SEA-EYE 4 via email at 17:30h CET and also tried to reach the so-called Libyan coastguard on its many emergency numbers to request an immediate rescue operation. However, despite many attempts, only at 17:55h CET could one Libyan officer be reached who, initially, suggested that they would send out a patrol boat in search of the distressed. The only available ship of the civil fleet, the SEA-EYE 4, was at least 12 hours away from the scene of distress.

At 18:00h CET, Alarm Phone was called again by the people in distress who made clear that they were fearing for their lives. They said: “We are losing our life here!”. We also received an updated GPS position from the boat. We passed the received information on to all authorities via email but only received a reply from SEA-EYE 4, who stated that they could only reach the position of distress the following morning at 6:00h CET.

Though initially suggesting that they would send a patrol vessel, the Libyan authorities stated at 20:44h CET that they would not send out any rescue asset, due to the high waves. Alarm Phone is aware, however, that at least two assets of the so-called Libyan coastguard were out at sea during the day. They intercepted at least 3 boats and forced the people on the move back to Libya.

Other vessels of the civil fleet, who might have been able to rescue people to safety, had been ordered away from the deadly maritime zone, instructed to disembark rescued people in northern Italy. This Italian policy of forcing rescuers to disembark in faraway harbours, while knowing that people continue to escape from Libya, has knowingly widened the rescue gap at sea and proven, once more, lethal.

Given the lack of available assets, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome ordered at 21:40h CET the platform supply vessel VOS TRITON to the boat in distress. In the past, the VOS TRITON has regularly returned people to Libya against their will. The supply vessel is also not sufficiently equipped to carry out complex rescue operations. During the night, the VOS TRITON reached the boat in distress.

We do not know at this stage what then unfolded. What we do know is that a disaster occurred. Only 25 of the more than 80 people on board could be rescued. 25 survivors were forced back to Libya. The others, approximately 61 people, drowned.

We are devastated that once again the European and Libyan authorities have failed to rescue people in distress, and that once again the EU border regime has killed.We denounce the continuous border violence, the continuous dying at Europe’s maritime and other borders.

Our heartfelt condolences to the relatives and friends of the dead. They may never learn what happened to their loved ones.