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Emergency Rescues 178 in Mediterranean Sea, Assists Disembarkation of 378 in Sicily [EN/IT]

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Yesterday, Wednesday, 10 June 2024, EMERGENCY’s search and rescue ship Life Support completed three rescue operations in the central Mediterranean Sea, rescuing 178 people from four boats in distress. On the same morning, one of EMERGENCY’s mobile medical clinics assisted 378 migrants who disembarked at the Sicilian port of Pozzallo after being rescued off the coast of Siracusa.

“EMERGENCY began search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea to save lives at sea and to put the right to life back at the centre of the debate,” comments Francesca Bocchini, EMERGENCY Advocacy Manager for Humanitarian Affairs and Migration. “At the same time, it is part of our broader project to promote a human rights-based approach to migration and help the most vulnerable people in Italian society. Begun in 2006 in Palermo, the project has since expanded to fixed and mobile clinics across the country.”

Life Support’s first rescue operation occurred in the Libyan SAR zone around 5:00 a.m. on 10 June after the two boats were sighted on Life Support’s radar. Both were overcrowded, made of fiberglass and had left from Tajura, Libya. Among the 74 people rescued are five women, five unaccompanied minors and a Syrian man who lost his leg in a bombing in 2014. Their countries of origin include Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and Syria.

After the first rescue operation, Life Support was assigned Civitavecchia as its port of disembarkation by the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). En route, the ship conducted two further rescue operations on the evening of 10 June: during the second operation, 64 people from Bangladesh and Egypt, including two unaccompanied minors, were rescued from a boat that had left from Tripoli and had been adrift for hours without fuel. During the third, 40 people were rescued from a boat with a broken engine that had also departed from Tajura. Among them were nine women and five unaccompanied minors. Their countries of origin include Eritrea, Morocco, Palestine, South Sudan and Syria.

Both distress cases were reported to Life Support via Alarm Phone and then confirmed by Sea Bird, Sea Watch’s aircraft. Both rescues occurred in the Maltese SAR zone.

“Yesterday, 10 July, during our second rescue operation in international waters in the Maltese SAR area, a Libyan patrol boat approached Life Support without communicating and without interfering with the rescue operations,” reports Anabel Montés Mier, Life Support Head of Mission. “After about forty minutes, it left the area and we concluded the rescue without any problems.”

“Between 5 a.m. and midnight yesterday, in three different rescues, we intervened in four distress cases, with a total of 178 people on board,” says Crescenzo Caiazza, nurse on board Life Support. “Yesterday, we had to perform ultrasound scans to identify a gall stone and locate a leg infection. Some people were dehydrated after time in the Mediterranean sun, while others suffered from sunburns, or from chemical burns due to contact with fuel and sea water. We are also caring for two diabetic patients and one hypertensive patient. All of this occurred on our way to the port of Civitavecchia: an extra three days at sea put a strain on the survivors, who must continue to wait to disembark in a safe port. We continue to monitor their health and provide the necessary assistance.”

Life Support continues to proceed to Civitavecchia, which it will reach on the morning of Saturday, 13 July.

Also in the early morning of 10 June, EMERGENCY’s Mobile Clinic – a converted van that offers free basic health services, psychological support and health education – moved to the port of Pozzallo to assist local authorities with the complex disembarkation of 378 people who were crammed into a fishing boat and adrift off the southern Italian coast, four days after leaving Sirte, Libya.

“The Prefecture of Ragusa requested that we provide support to the Provincial Health Agency at the wharf because a high number of people had landed after being rescued off the coast of Siracusa,” reported Ahmed Echi, EMERGENCY’s Project Coordinator in Ragusa. “The 378 migrants were crammed onto a fishing boat and were adrift 40 miles from Porto Palo di Capo Passero. Thanks to the close collaboration with ASP [local health authorities] and the Prefecture, we sent our Mobile Clinic to the port of Pozzallo and intervened in critical cases reported by USMAF [Office of Maritime, Air and Border Health] doctors to ASP.”

“Their general conditions were worrying,” Echi continued. “Some were dehydrated, chronically ill, or injured. Some of them are in a state of shock after the journey. EMERGENCY remains available to support local institutions.”

EMERGENCY has been present in Sicily since 2019, with a Mobile Clinic in the province of Ragusa and a fixed Outpatient Clinic in Vittoria. In 2023, the clinics provided more than 3,000 free socio-medical services, supporting 982 people.

EMERGENCY’s search and rescue ship Life Support, currently on its 21st mission, has been active in the Central Mediterranean since December 2022. To date, it has rescued a total of 1,856 people.