Shipwrecked refugees on board the "Louise Michel" (photo from August 28)
Photo: Santi Palacios / APThey were wet, traumatized and had suffered severe fuel burns in some cases - but on Saturday more than 200 refugees had to wait on the completely overcrowded and unmaneuverable private rescue ship "Louise Michel" and specially deployed life rafts.
Italian and Maltese authorities ignored the precarious situation for a long time, and help only came on Saturday evening. Only then did the Italian coast guard intervene and take 49 castaways on board, mainly families and children. The "Sea-Watch 4", which is also operated by refugee activists, also changed its course and took in the remaining refugees.
The crew of the "Louise Michel" took in a total of 219 refugees from two rubber boats on Thursday and Friday. One person was already dead at the time of the rescue, said the sea rescuers. The survivors reported three other deaths.
"Louise Michel" sent an emergency message
The ten activists of the "Louise Michel" then took care of the survivors, the deck was overcrowded and the ship's capacity limit had been reached. 33 migrants therefore had to stay on the water in life rafts. "We were unable to maneuver as an association with the life rafts," says Lea Reisner, operations manager on board, to SPIEGEL.
They sat in a mixture of salt water and fuel: Survivors on board the "Louise Michel"
Photo: Santi Palacios / APThat's why the authorities were asked for help. Even an emergency report, called "Pan-pan", was initially unanswered on Saturday morning. The signal is used when ships and their crews are in concrete but not acute danger. Because of the bad weather it was decided to bring the refugees on board the "Sea-Watch 4".
Banksy sponsored the ship
The "Louise Michel" once belonged to French customs, now the ship sails under the German flag. The artist Banksy financed the purchase, according to the sea rescuers, and painted the boat. On August 18, it first took off in Valencia; the activists, including many Germans, kept the ship's existence a secret for a long time - according to their own account for fear of being arrested by the authorities. The captain of the "Louise Michel" is Pia Klemp, who has also worked for Sea-Watch.
Banksy drawing on the "Louise Michel"
Photo: - / dpaUN refugee agency calls for a safe haven
The head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, called for the sea rescuers and the refugees to be let ashore quickly. "Saving lives should not be punished or stigmatized," he said. Especially not if there is no state rescue mission.
The escape route across the central Mediterranean is considered extremely dangerous. Around 20,000 people have lost their lives on it since 2014. More than 500 refugees are estimated to have died in the Mediterranean this year, the exact number is unknown. Italy and Malta closed their ports to sea rescuers in the corona crisis and often do not allow the ships to land for days or weeks.
The European Union has set up its own state rescue mission. European naval ships on the "Irini" mission deliberately avoid the most popular escape routes. Instead, the EU is supporting the Libyan coast guard, which intercepts refugees off the coast and brings them back to the civil war country. There the migrants and refugees are taken directly to official and unofficial detention camps, where they are sometimes tortured or raped and their relatives blackmailed over the phone.
The "Sea-Watch 4" now has more than 300 refugees on board. The crew has been waiting for days to be allowed to enter a safe harbor. Together with the "Louise Michel", she is now to travel north again.
27 other refugees have been waiting on board the container ship "Etienne" for more than three weeks. Maltese authorities do not allow them to arrive either. Among the castaways are a child and a pregnant woman.
Icon: The mirrorslü