The Ocean Viking, the ambulance boat chartered by SOS Méditerranée, took care of 178 migrants on Wednesday during two rescue operations off the coast of Libya and Malta, the NGO announced in a press release.
During the first, 140 people trying to reach Europe were crowded onto a wooden boat that was obviously far too small, according to photos released by SOS Méditerranée. “The boat was overloaded, listed dangerously and threatened to capsize,” said the NGO.
Among the survivors, five women and four children were on board. Many of those rescued suffered from skin burns from the fuel and seasickness, SOS Méditerranée added.
The second operation led to the treatment of 38 people on board a “fragile inflatable boat, in the Maltese search and rescue region”. They were supported by the teams of the NGO based in Marseille and the IFRC (International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent).
According to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 1,710 people trying to reach Europe have disappeared or died in the Mediterranean Sea since the start of the year.
