A recent rescue operation by NGO Sea Watch highlights the ongoing Mediterranean migrant crisis, where lives hang in the balance amidst inadequate international response.
Stranded Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform
Stranded Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform
Thirty-two migrants, including women and children, were rescued after several harrowing days on an oil platform.
Thirty-two migrants attempting to traverse the perilous Central Mediterranean were rescued by the NGO Sea Watch after being marooned on a British Gas-managed oil platform off the Tunisian coast. These individuals endured several days without access to food or water, leading to a dire situation wherein one migrant tragically lost his life, as reported by Mediterranea, a migrant rescue charity.
The rescue operation unfolded on Tuesday afternoon, as the Aurora ship took in all 32 survivors, yet the vessel faced uncertainty regarding its next port of safety, with no nearby country offering due assistance. Amid the escalating emergency, no European nation intervened, raising questions about the accountability of regional authorities in international waters straddling Tunisia and Malta's search and rescue zones.
Incident reports indicate that an NGO monitoring aircraft, Seabird, initially detected an empty rubber dinghy near the oil platform on March 1. The distressed migrants managed to call Alarm Phone, an emergency hotline dedicated to those in peril at sea, recounting their critical plight and the death of one among them. A poignant video captured by one of the stranded individuals and circulated by NGOs showcased a young man's desperate plea, expressing their suffering from hunger and the relentless cold.
In his Tigrinya dialogue, which is primarily spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea, he recounted the harrowing journey from Libya five days prior when their dinghy capsized, leaving many to struggle for survival on the platform. He voiced the group's critical condition, declaring, "We are dying... We have only little chance [to survive]." The footage depicted several migrants visibly shaken by the chilly temperatures, battling fierce waves against the oil platform's structure.
In 2023 alone, the UN reported over 210,000 individuals attempted to navigate this hazardous route. Disturbingly, more than 60,000 were intercepted and returned to African shores, with nearly 2,000 tragically losing their lives at sea. The scenario underlines the urgency for effective migration policies and humanitarian efforts in the region.
