After a shipwreck on September 4, 10 nautical miles off the Italian coast, 21 persons remain missing. Due to matching evidence, Sea-Watch has strong reasons to believe that the boat in distress was already reported three days prior to Italian and Maltese Authorities by its Airborne operations. Despite the information, no intervention was launched in time.
On September 2, our monitoring aircraft Seabird 2 identified a boat in distress 26 nautical miles off the Italian coast. The crew immediately alerted all relevant authorities, including the Italian coastguard stressing the situation’s urgency.
Sea-Watch has strong reasons to believe that the boat in question is the same one that tragically sank 10 miles off Lampedusa two days later, on September 4. The response from Italian authorities came far too late, and today, 21 people remain missing.
A comparison of images taken by Seabird 2 and those later released by the Italian Coast Guard show a wooden boat of identical shape and color, with survivors wearing similar clothing. In addition, the number of people on board and the Libyan port of departure match the details reported by Alarm Phone initiative.
If Sea-Watch strong suspicion remains true, the significant delay in responding to the boat in distress, renders the Italian coastguard responsible for the tragic shipwreck.
Dr. Meret Wegler, Seabird’s Tactical Coordinator, remarks: “From the air, we could see the boat low in the water and in a highly unstable condition. It is infuriating that those on board could have been saved, yet drowned due to delayed action.”
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) mandates all nations to provide immediate assistance to those in distress at sea. This delay is a clear violation of that obligation, leading to the loss of human lives.
Paul Wagner, spokesperson for Sea-Watch, states: “If our findings are confirmed, the Italian government and European authorities must be held accountable for their deliberate and unforgivable neglect.”
The Reconstruction of Events
September 2, 2024
**12:28 UTC* Seabird 2 spots a boat with about 30 people on board, with only one engine and sitting rather low in the water, 37 nautical miles from Lampedusa (position: 34°53’N, 12° 37’E).
**12:51 UTC:** Seabird’s ground crew sends an email to the Italian and Maltese authorities, reporting the presence of the boat in distress.
**13:38 UTC:** Seabird spots the boat again. It is 31 nautical miles from Lampedusa (position: 34°59’N, 12°35’E).
**14:09 UTC:** Seabird’s ground crew updates the Italian and Maltese authorities on the boat’s position.
**14:40 UTC:** Alarmphone informs the authorities of the presence of a boat in distress with 25 people on board that departed from Sabratha. Position: 35°00’N, 12°32’E.
**14:40 UTC:** Seabird spots the boat for the last time. It is 26 nautical miles from Lampedusa (position: 35°04’N, 12°33’E).
**15:01 UTC:** Seabird checks the area around the position reported by Alarmphone and finds no other boats. Therefore, the case spotted by Seabird is supposedly the same one in contact with Alarmphone.
**15:11 UTC:** Seabird’s ground crew communicates the boat’s updated position to the authorities.
September 4, 2024
**16:54 UTC:** The Italian Coast Guard announces on X that the boat has sunk, publishing a video of the rescue of the survivors.
An earlier version of the statement reported an incorrect time stamp of 15:21, which was later changed to 15:01.
