Trois bateaux transportant au total environ 179 personnes ont été signalés en détresse au sud de la Crète, alors que la ligne d’assistance aux migrants Alarm Phone a averti que certains passagers étaient confrontés à de forts vents et à des infiltrations d’eau dans leurs embarcations.

Selon une publication sur X d’Aegean Boat Report, Alarm Phone a lancé trois alertes distinctes concernant des bateaux qui transporteraient respectivement environ 59, 70 et 50 personnes.

L’organisation a indiqué qu’environ 59 personnes avaient signalé que de l’eau pénétrait dans leur bateau avant que le contact ne soit perdu. À la dernière mise à jour, aucune confirmation n’avait été donnée quant au lancement d’une opération de sauvetage ou à la localisation du groupe.

Dans un autre cas, les proches d’environ 70 personnes ont signalé avoir perdu le contact avec leur bateau plusieurs heures auparavant.

Alarm Phone a indiqué être toujours en contact avec un troisième groupe d’environ 50 personnes, qui luttait contre de forts vents tandis que de l’eau pénétrait également dans leur embarcation. Les passagers auraient été extrêmement effrayés.

Les autorités grecques des garde-côtes ont été informées des trois situations d’urgence et appelées à lancer immédiatement des opérations de recherche et de sauvetage.

Ces dernières alertes interviennent quelques jours après un autre naufrage dans la même zone élargie, impliquant un bateau transportant 77 personnes qui avait été retrouvé partiellement submergé. Cinquante et une personnes ont survécu, une personne a été déclarée morte et environ 25 autres étaient toujours portées disparues et présumées noyées.

Aegean Boat Report a indiqué qu’aucune information confirmée ne faisait encore état du sauvetage de l’un des trois groupes signalés mercredi.

L’organisation a appelé à localiser et secourir immédiatement toutes les personnes à bord, avertissant que jusqu’à 179 vies pourraient être en danger.

Elle a indiqué qu’elle fournirait de nouvelles informations au fur et à mesure que celles-ci seraient disponibles.

Three boats carrying a combined total of about 179 people have been reported in distress south of Crete, with migrant rescue hotline Alarm Phone warning that some passengers are facing strong winds and water entering their vessels.

According to a post on X by Aegean Boat Report, Alarm Phone issued three separate distress alerts involving boats believed to be carrying approximately 59, 70 and 50 people.

The organisation said about 59 people reported that water was entering their boat before contact with them was lost. As of the latest update, there had been no confirmation that a rescue operation had been launched or that the group had been located.

In another case, relatives of approximately 70 people reported losing contact with their boat several hours earlier.

Alarm Phone said it remained in contact with a third group of about 50 people who were struggling against strong winds while water was also entering their boat. The passengers were reportedly extremely frightened.

The Hellenic Coast Guard has been informed of all three emergencies and urged to launch immediate search-and-rescue operations.

The latest alerts come days after a separate shipwreck in the same wider area involving a boat carrying 77 people that was found partially submerged. Fifty-one people survived, one person was confirmed dead and about 25 others remained missing and were feared drowned.

Aegean Boat Report said there was still no confirmed information that any of the three groups reported on Wednesday had been rescued.

It called for the immediate location and rescue of everyone on board, warning that potentially 179 lives could be at risk.

The organisation said it would provide further updates as information becomes available.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is expanding efforts to strengthen disease surveillance and preparedness along major travel routes including riverine corridors and across borders to help prevent further spread as the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reaches unprecedented levels,.

Since the outbreak was declared in May 2026, the numbers have continued to climb. More than 7,400 confirmed cases have now been recorded, making this the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in the country, and a crisis exacerbated by ongoing conflict and large-scale displacement. As of 16 September, the World Health Organization had reported over 3,600 deaths. Over the same period, IOM has supported local authorities with over 33 million health screenings across the region, reaching millions of people with life-saving information and referrals to appropriate services.

“This is the largest Ebola outbreak the DRC has faced, putting families affected by conflict and crisis under even greater strain. Our teams are working alongside local health authorities to detect risks early and help people access care. Close cooperation across borders is vital to containing the disease,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General. “But we have received less than a third of the funding needed for our response. We urgently need more support to sustain this work and protect communities in the DRC and neighboring countries.”

Displaced people, and host communities within the outbreak epicentre face particular barriers to accessing health services. Overcrowding, inadequate water and sanitation services, limited access to lifesaving services, and gaps in disease surveillance in displacement sites make early detection more difficult.

IOM is strengthening disease surveillance and preparedness across DRC using population mobility mapping and flow monitoring to identify high-risk mobility corridor, border communities points of entry (PoEs) and informal crossing points, enabling authorities to better target the response to a fast-moving disease.

The organization is also scaling up disease surveillance at displacement sites and along the Congo River, a key route for people travelling towards Kinshasa. At the Bende-Bende point of control, IOM is supporting health authorities with training and other critical preparedness activities alongside traveller screening, with teams conducting an average of around 1,000 health screenings a day.

IOM is working closely with governments and partners in neighbouring countries, including Uganda, South Sudan Burundi, Rwanda, Central African Republic along with other at-risk countries across the region, to strengthen preparedness and reduce the risk of cross-border transmission.

To sustain and expand this work, IOM is seeking USD 110 million for its multi-country Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Response Plan. So far, USD 29.6 million has been received, leaving more than half of the appeal unfunded. Additional resources are urgently needed to sustain surveillance along key movement routes, strengthen preparedness in neighbouring countries, and ensure mobile and displaced communities are included in the response.

IOM’s response is supported by the United States Government, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), European Union, the Government of Japan and the World Bank.