The Ocean Viking, the ambulance ship chartered by the NGO SOS Méditerranée, recovered 75 migrants overnight from Sunday to Monday off the coast of Libya, first taken care of by the sailboat of another NGO, Resqship, announced these organizations on Monday, May 23.
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The sailing ship Nadir, which was on a rescue observation mission, spotted an inflatable boat with a failed engine off the coast of Libya.
While the crew was tending to first aid, a vessel belonging to the Libyan Coast Guard appeared and "
we categorically rejected the demanded handover of the survivors to the Libyans as it contradicts international, European and German law
", detailed the report. German NGO ResQship in a statement.
233 migrants on board
The Ocean Viking then came to pick up the migrants and in particular took care of an injured person, said SOS Méditerranée, a European association for search and rescue on the high seas headquartered in Marseille (south of France).
"
Earlier, the Ocean Viking searched for a boat in distress reported by Alarm Phone, which was later confirmed to have been intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard
," she said in a statement. .
With this third rescue, the ambulance ship, which operates with the help of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), now has 233 migrants on board, including 40 women, six of whom are pregnant.
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Libya is an important crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants seeking each year to reach Europe by the Italian coasts, some 300 km away.
The central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The UN agency estimates the number of dead and missing there at 1,553 in 2021.
