Tragedy at Sea: Over 60 Migrants Perish Trying to Reach Europe from Libya
Tragic incident in the Mediterranean Sea. At least 60 migrants who set out in a boat from Libya are dead, according to the non-governmental organization SOS Mediterranee based in Marseille.
The organization SOS Mediterranee, whose ship Ocean Viking set sail to Italy with 224 individuals taken onboard during three rescue operations, reported that among the 60 victims are women and at least one child.
Activists claim that the "rubber boat", from which only 25 people were saved, began its journey on 8 March. The starting point was the city of Zawiya, located in Libya. Unfortunately, after three days, the engine failed, causing the ship to drift at sea. The migrants suffered from a lack of food and water.
Among the migrants who were rescued, there were two unconscious individuals who were airlifted to a hospital in Sicily.
Migrants still attempt to reach Europe
On Wednesday evening, Ocean Viking saved another 113 migrants drifting at sea, including 6 women and two children. Another 88 individuals were saved on Thursday from an "overloaded rubber boat". Ocean Viking is currently heading to Ancona in Italy with "224 people, including 21 women, about thirty unaccompanied minors, and four children under the age of 4" - it was reported.
Ocean Viking has requested the Italian maritime authorities to designate the "nearest port" at which it could dock. Meanwhile, Ancona is about 1,450 kilometres away from where the vessel was located.
In February, the General Director of SOS Mediterranee Sophie Beau already lamented that due to the distance of ports designated by Italy for docking, humanitarian organizations lost time at sea equivalent to an entire year.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed "deep concern" over another sinking of a ship in the Mediterranean Sea and emphasized that "immediate action is necessary to strengthen sea patrols to prevent further tragedies". Since 2016, Ocean Viking has saved over 39,000 people in the Mediterranean Sea. According to IOM data, in 2023, 3,105 migrants died while trying to reach Europe across this body of water.
