Migrant-rescue vessel Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Méditerranée, rescued at sea on Sunday night a total of 75 migrants, the passengers of an “overcrowded rubber dinghy in difficulty” off Libya’s coast, bringing to 90 the number of survivors on board, the NGO said in a statement.
Among those rescued were 34 unaccompanied minors, four pregnant women, eight children and a nine-month-old boy, said the Marseille-based NGO, adding that “nobody was wearing a life vest”.
The Ocean Viking had already rescued 15 people “who were on a boat in fiberglass in danger in international waters off Libya” and that in that case as well nobody was wearing a life jacket, the organization said.
In collaboration with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in May during its latest mission in the central Mediterranean, the Ocean Viking rescued some 300 people, including a three-month-old child and six pregnant women, who had to wait for 10 days before being taken to a safe port, in Sicily.
This afternoon, #OceanViking rescued 75 people from an overcrowded rubber boat in distress in the Libyan Search & Rescue region. Among them are 34 unaccompanied minors, 4 pregnant women, 8 children & a 9-month-old baby. None of them had lifejackets. 90 survivors are now onboard. pic.twitter.com/5QvQ0Aq16M
— SOS MEDITERRANEE (@SOSMedIntl) June 26, 2022