Survivors rescued from a deflating rubber dinghy in the central Mediterranean Sea have reported that approximately 60 people who embarked from Libya with them over a week ago perished during the perilous journey, according to the humanitarian rescue group SOS Mediterranee. The Ocean Viking, operated by the European charity, spotted the dinghy carrying 25 individuals on Wednesday. Among them, two were found unconscious and were airlifted by an Italian Coast Guard helicopter for urgent medical attention. The remaining 23 survivors were in critical condition, displaying signs of exhaustion, dehydration, and burns from fuel on the boat.
The survivors, all male, included 12 minors, with two of them being pre-teens, hailing from Senegal, Mali, and The Gambia. Due to the traumatic nature of their experience, the survivors were unable to provide detailed accounts of their journey, making it challenging to verify the exact number of missing and presumed dead. Humanitarian organizations often rely on survivor testimonies to estimate casualties at sea.
According to the U.N. International Organization for Migration, 227 individuals have lost their lives along the central Mediterranean route this year up to March 11, excluding the newly reported missing and presumed dead. The total number of deaths in the Mediterranean since January 1 stands at 279, with 19,562 people having arrived in Italy via this route during the same period.
The survivors disclosed that the boat departed from Zawiya, Libya, carrying around 85 people, including women and at least one small child. The vessel's motor malfunctioned shortly after departure, leaving them adrift for over a week. The survivors recounted witnessing the tragic loss of many of their companions during the harrowing journey.
Later on Wednesday, the Ocean Viking rescued an additional 113 individuals stranded in international waters off Libya aboard a wooden boat, which included six women and two children. Prior to the Ocean Viking's arrival, a civilian sailing vessel had provided life vests to the distressed individuals.
Following instructions from Italian authorities, the Ocean Viking is heading to the port of Ancona in the central Marche region. Humanitarian groups have expressed concerns over the Italian government's policy of directing rescue ships to ports further north, which they argue hampers timely and effective life-saving operations at sea.
