SOS MEDITERRANEE

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Following an urgent request by UpRights, StraLi, and MSF, the UN Human Rights Committee issued interim measures yesterday, urging relevant authorities to ensure rescue and safe disembarkation. Yet again, people are abandoned at sea while States forgo their legal and moral duties.

Survivors were stranded on the Miskar platform since Sunday. Every party responsible for their safety knew about their situation. However, competent States, such as Malta, did not take action.

Yesterday, the crew on the #OceanViking rescued 116 people, including 40+ unaccompanied minors, 13 women, one child and 2 babies, from the Miskar gas platform, in the Tunisian Search & Rescue region.

We know what “invisible #shipwrecks” mean. We hear about them from survivors, again and again. Boats that never arrived. People who vanished at sea. This is not the exception. It is part of the reality we witness. Delays, lack of coordination and missing transparency cost lives

Several alerts of boats in distress were issued while #OceanViking was sent 1296kms away. Some were intercepted back to Libya, some rescued by Italian CG, some remain unknown. We rescued 100 people in one day, 43,073 in the past 10 years. We will be here as long as we are needed

After navigating for more than 4 days, the 100 survivors rescued on March 5 finally disembarked in Ancona. Some, including teenagers, have been trying to reach safety for years, escaping war, persecution and violence in their home countries and #Libya.

10 years of civilian Search&Rescue at sea. #SOSMEDITERRANEE releases its Ten-Year Report and a Manifesto calling to restore proactive SAR in the Central Mediterranean. 43,078 people assisted 457 operations Two ships. One mission bit.ly/Ten_year_report Read. Share. Stand with us

We recovered the survivors including women and unaccompanied minors, and brought them on board the #OceanViking for care. Survivors suffered from cold stress, seasickness and fatigue. There are now 100 people onboard slowly recovering and participating in protection activities.

Yesterday, as we were heading towards Ancona, the assigned Place of Safety, we received an alert from @AlarmPhone about a wooden boat in distress 30NM away with 64 people on board. After receiving green light from the Italian authorities, we rescued the drifting overcrowded boat.

Survivors, who come mainly from Sudan, include 8 unaccompanied minors. They report spending two nights at sea after fleeing #Tripoli. We recovered them weak and very cold. They were exposed to strong gasoline vapours and show signs of intoxication. They are now slowly recovering.

Last night, after receiving an alert from @alarm_phone we sailed south and found a small rubber boat drifting in the middle of high waves, in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region. We brought back 36 people to safety on the #OceanViking.

Eventually Italian Coast Guard later confirmed the rescue. Approx 100 people survived. Every life saved at sea depends on coordination between independent aerial monitors, authorities, and #SAR assets. When information is shared and legal instructions are given, people survive.

#ALBATROSSUNO located a boat in distress 60nm SE of Malta. A merchant vessel diverted to assist - Maltese authorities ordered her to stop. We witnessed her change course away. How despite our assessment can a #RCC instruct a MV ready to assist no to proceed and abandon people?

Without independent aerial monitoring in the Mediterranean, people vanish in silence. Together with @HPISwiss, #ALBATROSSUNO flies to bear witness and ensure safe rescue at sea. #EU member States must stop funding illegal interceptions.

Several people were rescued by civil SAR vessels and the Italian Coast Guard, including a woman who gave birth on board a rubber boat. Some of the boats we spotted were on fire, others were drifting, half-submerged, with no engine and no markings. A sign of prior interceptions.

We witnessed the interception by the Libyan Coast Guard of an unseaworthy overcrowded black rubber boat carrying approx 30 people on March 1, while monitoring with our civilian aircraft #ALBATROSSUNO in the Libyan SAR zone. That is not rescue.