NGOs continue to call for immediate international intervention as migrant deaths spike.
Migrants Rescued After Days in Dire Straits on Mediterranean Oil Platform
Migrants Rescued After Days in Dire Straits on Mediterranean Oil Platform
Rescue operation highlights urgent humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean
Thirty-two migrants, including women and children, were rescued by NGO Sea Watch after being stranded on a British Gas-managed oil platform in the Mediterranean for several harrowing days. The group had been abandoned without food or water, having set off from Libya. Tragically, one member of the group had already died before rescue efforts commenced, as reported by Mediterranea, a charity dedicated to migrant rescue.
The ordeal began when the migrants' inflatable boat capsized during their perilous journey, leading them to seek refuge on the oil platform situated near Tunisia's coast. The condition of the stranded individuals quickly deteriorated, prompting them to make a distress call to Alarm Phone, an emergency hotline that assists migrants in peril at sea. According to reports, the migrants communicated that they were suffering from severe starvation and exposure to cold.
Sea Watch confirmed that their rescue vessel, the Aurora, successfully retrieved all 32 individuals on Tuesday. However, they faced uncertainty regarding where to safely disembark, as no nearby country has offered a port of safety for the rescued group. The situation has drawn criticism from NGOs, as no European nation has intervened to provide assistance despite the grave circumstances.
Adding to the urgency of the situation, surveillance from the organization Seabird earlier on March 1 identified an abandoned rubber dinghy adjacent to the oil platform. With over 210,000 people attempting to navigate the Central Mediterranean in 2023, the UN has reported that around 60,000 individuals were intercepted and returned to Africa, while nearly 2,000 have tragically lost their lives at sea.
The plight of these migrants shines a spotlight on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, raising calls for urgent action from the international community to avert further tragedies on this perilous route.
The ordeal began when the migrants' inflatable boat capsized during their perilous journey, leading them to seek refuge on the oil platform situated near Tunisia's coast. The condition of the stranded individuals quickly deteriorated, prompting them to make a distress call to Alarm Phone, an emergency hotline that assists migrants in peril at sea. According to reports, the migrants communicated that they were suffering from severe starvation and exposure to cold.
Sea Watch confirmed that their rescue vessel, the Aurora, successfully retrieved all 32 individuals on Tuesday. However, they faced uncertainty regarding where to safely disembark, as no nearby country has offered a port of safety for the rescued group. The situation has drawn criticism from NGOs, as no European nation has intervened to provide assistance despite the grave circumstances.
Adding to the urgency of the situation, surveillance from the organization Seabird earlier on March 1 identified an abandoned rubber dinghy adjacent to the oil platform. With over 210,000 people attempting to navigate the Central Mediterranean in 2023, the UN has reported that around 60,000 individuals were intercepted and returned to Africa, while nearly 2,000 have tragically lost their lives at sea.
The plight of these migrants shines a spotlight on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, raising calls for urgent action from the international community to avert further tragedies on this perilous route.
