In June, our crew rescued 91 people in distress at sea. Stationed in Lampedusa, we use our rescue vessel Aurora to patrol our area of operation, quickly respond to emergencies, stabilize boats until the Italian coastguard arrives, or take people on board ourselves.
In the early morning hours of June 3, we successfully rescued 91 people in distress at sea. Their boat was drifting in the waves, and about half of them had suffered burns caused by a mixture of fuel and salt water.
The rescue was a race against time. Just minutes after we reached the boat, armed militias from the so-called Libyan coastguard appeared — minutes that determined the fate of those on board. Instead of being dragged back to torture prisons in Libya, we were able to take everyone on board.
Due to the urgent medical needs, all women and children were brought ashore in Lampedusa by the Italian coastguard. The others were not allowed to disembark — we had to bring them all the way to mainland Sicily.
On the morning of June 4th, all rescued people were able to disembark in Sicily. We wish them strength for their ongoing struggle for a life in freedom and safety.
The rescue marked the end of a multi-week rotation. The new crew has now begun their intensive training phase, preparing to be ready as soon as possible to assist, stabilize, and take people on board in distress at sea.
