Early this morning, on World Refugee Day, Sea-Watch rescued 70 people from distress in the Mediterranean sea. The youngest is only one year old. One person was later medically evacuated to Malta due to critical health conditions. Several others are suffering from severe fuel burns, dehydration, and exhaustion after being at sea for more than 24 hours.
Giulia Messmer, Sea-Watch spokesperson, comments: Today, we are relieved to have rescued all 70 people savely. But the fact that people are forced to flee across the sea must never be accepted. The suffering at sea is politically caused – and it can be politically stopped. We demand an immediate European rescue program and safe passage for all.
Napoli, the assigned port for disembarkation by Italian authorities, is nearly 5 times farther than the closest suitable port Lampedusa. The rescued persons are thereby willingly exposed to prolonged, unnecessary health risks by the Italian state. In addition, rescue ships are deliberately kept away from their rescue area.
10 years after the launch of civil search and rescue in the Mediterranean Sea, Italy and the European Union continue to obstruct humanitarian efforts to prevent deaths at sea. Just in the last days, the rescue ships Sea-Eye 5 and NADIR were unlawfully detained in Italian ports.
