Emergency Life Support For Civilian War Victims ONG ONLUS

04/05/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/05/2024 08:19

200 People Rescued by Life Support in the Central Mediterranean

This morning, EMERGENCY's search and rescue vessel, Life Support, successfully concluded rescue operations for two closely situated boats in distress within international waters, in the Libyan SAR zone, with a total of 200 people aboard.

Captain of Life Support, Domenico Pugliese, said: "At dawn, our radar detected two distressed boats. Upon investigation, we found them to be overcrowded so we promptly alerted our rescue team, launched dinghies, conducted initial assessments, and safely rescued all 200 people. They are now in our sheltered area, receiving medical attention to assess their health conditions."

Transfer of the survivors from their perilous boats to Life Support was completed by 8:30 am, with one individual rescued in an unconscious state.

The boats, approximately 12 and 10 meters long, were sighted via radar from the bridge at around 6 am. They were traveling closely together and had departed from Libya, one from Sabratha and the other from Zawiya.

"After the rescue," Domenico Pugliese added, "we were approached by the so-called Libyan coast guard vessel number 658, enquiring about the number of rescued individuals and directing us to head north."

Among the 200 people rescued are 21 women and 14 minors, including 8 unaccompanied. Nationalities among those rescued include Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, Pakistan, Palestine, and Syria.

Sara Chessa, a nurse on board Life Support, said: "We had one urgent medical case: a boy arrived unconscious. After initial treatment, his condition improved, but we continue to monitor him closely."

Following completion of the rescue operation and notification of relevant authorities, Life Support requested a port of disembarkation for the 200 survivors. The Italian MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) designated Ravenna as the Place of Safety, approximately four days' sailing from the rescue site: a very distant port assignment, which forces people already exhausted and in vulnerable conditions, to spend further days at sea, instead of disembarking as soon as possible.

Life Support, consisting of a team of 29 crew, doctors, mediators, and rescuers, is currently on its 18th mission in the Central Mediterranean, having rescued a total of 1,542 people.