Three non-governmental organizations rescued over 400 migrants trying to reach Europe aboard a wooden boat in the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday night into Sunday. This raised the total number of people rescued over the weekend to nearly 600, according to the organization "SOS Mediterranee." A spokesperson for the European NGO operating the rescue ship "Ocean Viking" stated that "the rescue operation carried out in international waters was perilous, as water was seeping into the large wooden boat carrying over 400 people."
The survivors were distributed among three boats: "Sea-Watch 3" from the NGO "Sea-Watch," "Nadir" from the NGO "Rescue Ship," and "Ocean Viking," with all three vessels participating in the rescue operation that continued into the early hours of the morning. This marks the fifth rescue operation conducted by Ocean Viking since Saturday. The ship is now carrying 449 survivors after having already rescued 196 individuals in several previous operations off the Libyan coast. The survivors will receive the same care as those rescued by "Sea-Watch 3," according to "SOS Mediterranee."
The International Organization for Migration reports that at least 1,146 people died at sea during the first half of 2021 while attempting to cross to Europe. "SOS Mediterranee" affirms that it has rescued over 30,000 people since February 2016 using the ship "Aquarius" and subsequently "Ocean Viking."
