The organization SOS Méditerranée picked up a total of 196 migrants from boats off the coast of Libya on Saturday. Those on board were brought aboard the rescue ship the Ocean Viking. The European aid organization made during the day notification of multiple actions.
The first rescue took place in the morning, when Ocean Viking rescue crews retrieved 57 people from an “inflatable boat in distress.” According to SOS Méditerannée, the boat was found in international waters off the Libyan coast. After that, another 54 people on board an inflatable boat were taken to safety, and 64 from a wooden boat. A fourth operation was conducted in the evening after Ocean Viking was notified of the vessel’s location by another organization, Sea Watch, which flies observation aircraft over the area.
Among the 196 survivors now on board the Ocean Viking are several minors, some of whom were traveling unaccompanied. At least two women are pregnant. SOS Méditerranée has been sailing with the Ocean Viking since 2018, for which the organization used the rescue ship Aquarius.
source https://pledgetimes.com/sos-mediterranee-nearly-200-people-rescued-off-the-coast-of-libya/
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