MARSEILLE: A rescue ship has saved more than 438 migrants in distress in the Mediterranean during the last two days, AFP reported on Saturday. AFP cited an NGO as saying the rescues took place in international waters off the coasts of Tunisia and Libya.
Earlier the NGO stated that on Thursday, it had “Saved 272 migrants” of 23 different countries from three ships in the Mediterranean, the most dangerous maritime crossing in the world for the refugees. Those saved included “32 minors, nine babies and five persons with disabilities,” AFP reported.
Mediterranean: Rescue Vessel Saves 438 Migrants
On Friday, the NGO said it had saved another 166 migrants when it “went to the aid of several boats in pain.” The migrants were evacuated “in coordination with the coast guards of Italy in the search and rescue between Lampedusa and Tunisia.”
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The NGO further said that a total of more than 438 rescued migrants are currently on board. As many as 2,013 people have died so far in the current year attempting to cross the central Mediterranean, the UN migration agency said. That is higher than its number for the entire of 2022, which was over 1,417.
In June, one sinking alone Mediterranean cost the lives of as many as 82 people, one of the deadliest mishaps involving migrants in the area. In July, Italian officials detained the Ocean Viking for ten days at Civitavecchia after enquiring about the container’s protection standards, before releasing it.
