Migrants, Emergency: three rescue operations in less than ten hours, 22 women and 27 children left adrift for 24 hours rescued

ROME – After having rescued 78 people at dawn on Saturday 25 March 2023, the ship Life support Of EMERGENCY completed a second and then a third rescue operation in the morning of the same day with the coordination of the Italian authorities. In these last two interventions, 38 and 45 people were rescued respectively, adrift for over 24 hours on boats that were in extreme conditions.

The witness. “The boats had already been waiting for rescue for 24 hours, in a dramatic situation: two 7 and 8 meter iron boats, at the limit of buoyancy and which risked capsizing at any moment – comments Emanuele Nannini, head of mission from the Life support – the fishing boats that had raised the alarm had already reported to the authorities, several times and with concern, that there were numerous children and babies on board who hadn’t eaten or drunk for hours, as well as the two pregnant women”. On board the two boats, there were a total of 83 people, coming from Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal. Among these, two women who are only a few months pregnant, 23 unaccompanied minors, four children.

Three days without eating or drinking.” “The castaways had already spent three days at sea, without eating or drinking and in a crouched position – says Alberto Radaelli, Life Support rescuer – they couldn’t stand up, we had to lift them by force. Once rescued aboard the vessel, two people were fainted. Everyone had a strong smell of diesel on them, due to the overturning of cans on board”. There was also a third vessel in danger on the spot, whose rescue will be carried out by the Italian Coast Guard.

The Tunisia-Lampedusa route. Since it began its activities, the ship Life support Of EMERGENCY is on his fourth mission. At the moment it is en route to the port of Ortona assigned to it by the Italian authorities. You have already informed the authorities of the presence of at least 4 other boats in danger on the route between Tunisia and Lampedusa, reiterating your willingness to support the authorities in search and rescue operations.