On February 9, at 21.42(EET), Aegean Boat Report was contacted by a person claiming to be in distress at sea in a rubber boat with a malfunctioning engine, drifting outside the Greek island of Lesvos in bad weather conditions together with 44 other people.
At first this person was, due to bad cell phone reception in the area, not able to send out a proper location that could be verified. In such cases we try to log as much information as possible regarding the situation onboard, so that we when receiving verified location data can inform local authorities immediately to try to prevent loss of life.
At 22.07 we finally received a location 2 km east of Palios, Lesvos north east, and immediately tried to reach the port authority in Mytilíni, but for some unexplained reason there was no reply, the phone was ringing for 1 minute before it was disconnected. We tried different numbers, all with the same results, ringing for one minute afterwards disconnected.
We was in constant contact with people onboard, while at the same time trying to reach the authorities on Lesvos. We also informed local assets on the island, so that organizations could be informed on the ongoing emergency situation. We also informed the people in distress to try to reach the international emergency number 112 and the Greek coast guard on 108, as far as we know they managed to reach 112 but was after giving location data told that they could not help them.
We finally established contact with the port police in Mólivos, but at first, even do we thoroughly explained the emergency situation, they were not willing to take the information we had. After some persuasion they finally agreed to write down the necessary information and inform port police in Mytilini. While talking to the port police officer on duty this night, he informed us that they already had received a call from someone in this area, and that vessels was sent to a location not far from the location we provided.
The boat in distress contained to drift south west, parallel to land, only 4-500 meters from land, but due to heavy winds people onboard was not able to maneuver the boat without a working engine. We received a video showing people in a boat, some wearing life jackets, and they clearly asked for help and that they feared that they would drown.
Contact with the group was lost several times over the next hour, but since the person contacting us had activated and sent a live location on WhatsApp, whenever they came online we could follow their movements, and with this information predict due to wind direction where they most likely would hit land.
At 23.14 the group contacted us by sending location and a voice message, confirming that they had managed to reach land, all safe but that they needed assistance from local organizations. A few minutes later the phone went offline, and never came online again.
The group sent out location data over WhatsApp that confirmed that they were on Lesvos, and that they finally had made it safely to land on a small beach north of Ag. Stefanos, Lesvos north east. The entire group, 45 people, men, women and children suddenly magically disappeared, and was according to port authorities on Lesvos never located.
Two hours after the group had landed on the shore, locals and local organizations arrived on location, there were no people to be found, but there were definite proof that people had just arrived and was hastily removed. A boat was found on the beach and bags, clothes, ID documents and other personal belongings was scattered all over the place.
There are usually belongings left behind whenever people arrive, especially wet clothes, life jackets, garbage from food and water bottles. In this location it seemed everything was left behind, very unusual and unlikely that people would leave things they would need in this extent. Later in daylight locals found a total of 22 bags, huge amounts of dry clothes and new shoes, ID documents, credit cards, fresh food, makeup etc. someone was in a hurry to remove this group, no question about it, they knew that organization was on their way, so they removed the people but didn’t have the time to clean up and remove the evidence of their presence.
No new arrivals was registered on Lesvos this day, nor the following days, and port authorities on Lesvos claims that they found no people on land or sea this night.
Another mystery in a long string of mysteries on the Greek island, where people magically disappears on a daily basis, just evaporates into the air, and later are found drifting in Greek manufactured life rafts in the Aegean Sea. Greek authorities have so far categorically detained any involvement. So far over 1100 life rafts have been found drifting in the Aegean Sea, carrying almost 19.000 people, all manufactured by the Greek company Lalizas from Pireus, and who has a contract providing rescue equipment to the Greek coast guard. A short investigation into the companies deliveries will most likely show that they have delivered far more life rafts to the Greek coast guard than they would ever need to equip their vessels, but who cares, it’s business as usual, these rings will never be investigated.
On February 10, at 07.25, Turkish coast guard found and rescued 45 people drifting outside Dikili, Turkey, both life rafts was manufactured by the Greek company Lalizas from Pireus.
From pictures, videos from and ID documents found on Lesvos, we have been able to confirm that they were the same people who the following morning was found drifting in the life rafts outside Dikili. There is no doubt about who is responsible, not in this case, nor thousands of similar cases over the last three years, all done in the name of border management and protection of our precious “ fortress Europe”.
Europeans are always eager to point fingers towards anyone outside Europe not following the rule of law, violating human rights, treating people badly, but in regards to our own actions, we seems not only blind, but also deaf, dumb and stupid.
European politicians is unable, or rather unwilling, to do anything to stop these crimes against humanity committed by European authorities on European soil, it’s as if human rights is only for “our people”, anyone else is of less importance and value, that they are killed on our borders is of no concern, all in the name of border management.
European values was ones something we could be proud of, something others could be inspired by, look up to. Today the guardians of these values, European politicians and the European Parliament, have failed miserably, what we once was so proud of has been ruined, it will forever be a stain, a dark chapter, of our history.