“They had died the day before, probably of thirst.” That is how a RESQSHIP paramedic described the two children whose bodies the German sea rescue charity received from a rubber dinghy adrift south of Lampedusa. The children were aged 3 and 4.
The crew reached the boat at around 4.30 p.m. on Saturday. “By the time [we] reached the rubber boat,” the charity said in a statement, “it was too late to help some of the people.” A man aboard was unconscious when rescuers arrived. Attempts to resuscitate him failed, and he was declared dead. Fifty-nine survivors were taken off the boat.
Adrift for days
The dinghy left western Libya on Wednesday. Its engine failed shortly afterward, according to RESQSHIP, and the people aboard drifted for days with nothing to shield them from wind and tide. One account in the coverage says the boat was carrying 62 people, among them 17 women, two babies and four small children. It had set out from Zawiyah.
Survivors told the crew that another migrant had drowned on Friday after going overboard. The boat had been spotted by a surveillance aircraft of the EU border agency Frontex.
The injuries were not only from exposure. “Many had extensive burns from the toxic mixture of salt water and fuel,” said Hannah, a doctor on board the rescue ship NADIR. “Women were particularly affected because they were sitting inside the zodiac where the liquid accumulates.” Two children and four adults in critical condition were handed to the Italian coast guard so they could reach shore faster. RESQSHIP said the bodies of the dead were brought to land on Lampedusa.
A route with a long record
Lampedusa sits between Tunisia, Malta and Sicily, which makes it the first stop for many people trying to reach Europe from North Africa. The International Organization for Migration counts almost 25,000 migrants dead or missing on the crossing since 2014. That includes around 1,700 last year and 378 so far this year.
Europe has tried to cut departures through money. Deals worth hundreds of millions of euros were struck between the EU and Libya in 2017 and between the EU and Tunisia in 2023. Under them, the coastguards of both countries were to take over border protection. The agreements have been heavily criticized amid reports of serious human rights violations.
Sources
- Mediterranean crossing: At least 3 die, including 2 children | World News – Times of India
- Mediterranean crossing: At least 3 die, including 2 children
Sources
- Mediterranean crossing: At least 3 die, including 2 children | World News
- Mediterranean crossing: At least 3 die, including 2 children
