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Migrants on a rubber dinghy: The German aid organizations Sea-Eye and Mission Lifeline have rescued hundreds of people seeking protection from the Mediterranean
Photo: Hermine Poschmann / dpa
Within a few days, the German aid organizations Sea-Eye and Mission Lifeline rescued hundreds of people in distress from the Mediterranean.
The rescue ship "Sea-Eye 4" is now completely overcrowded after several missions.
As the organization announced, there are now more than 800 people seeking protection on board - more than ever before.
For the 24-person crew, this results in a previously unknown stress situation.
The ship is dependent on the quick allocation of a safe harbor.
The state of emergency applies on board.
Gorden Isler, chairman of the Sea Eye association, told SPIEGEL about the tense situation on board.
"Many of those who were rescued are still sleeping on board, but the situation could change at any moment," he said.
The ship is not designed for so many people.
Already several emergencies on board
Several emergencies have already had to be dealt with.
“Some rescued people suffer from hypothermia and severe exhaustion.
So far we have stabilized people.
But they urgently need professional treatment on land. «More than half of the shipwrecked had to be rescued from the Maltese search and rescue zone because the Maltese authorities did not react.
The "Sea-Eye 4" had already taken over 400 people on board in six missions in the past few days.
According to their own statements, the sea rescuers then received another call for help on Thursday morning.
This was therefore also deposited in the Maltese rescue zone.
Malta did not respond to the calls for help.
When the "Sea-Eye 4" arrived at the scene, the two-story wooden boat had already leaked.
According to the organization, a total of 400 other people seeking protection were taken in during the operation.
The total of more than 800 people are now to be brought to the island of Lampedusa.
The Italian island is only a few hours away from the scene of the accident, making it the quickest safe harbor to reach.
The Italian coast guard had also rescued around 70 migrants from a sailing boat together with the fire brigade on Thursday night.
The ship was stranded on a reef in the Calabrian province of Crotone in the Ionian Sea.
The migrants and refugees mostly leave the coasts of North Africa for the dangerous crossing.
They want to reach the EU to seek protection or in the hope of a better life.
The council chairman of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, told the dpa news agency that it was now urgently necessary to assign the completely overcrowded rescue ship to a safe harbor immediately.
"I ask the federal government to work immediately," appealed Bedford-Strohm.
"Help is now needed with no ifs and buts." The "Sea Eye 4" is financed by the "United4Rescue" alliance, which is supported by the EKD.
asc / slü / dpa