Spanish NGO Ship In Mediterranean Rescue

A Spanish NGO ship rescued 77 migrants on board a dinghy in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea after saving 83 the previous night.

The migrants were rescued by the Spanish NGO ‘Proactiva Open Arms’, an organisation devoted to search and rescue at sea.

The NGO’s vessel left the Port of Burriana in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia two weeks ago.

The organisation’s spokeswoman Laura Lanuza told Newsflash that the vessel rescued 160 migrants at sea in just two days, among them children and two pregnant women.

 

The first rescue on Wednesday took place in the middle of the Mediterranean and involved migrants from various countries such as Senegal, Palestine, Egypt and Mali.

The second rescue on Thursday saw 77 migrants lifted on board the NGO’s vessel from their dinghy, which was reportedly at the point of sinking.

 

Lanuza told Newsflash: “During the first rescue, some people had symptoms of COVID-19, but no other health issues such as malnourishment.”

Lanuza said: “The migrants have been checked by doctors working on board the NGO Emergency’s vessel and it was confirmed that two women are pregnant.

 

“One of the pregnant women was travelling with her partner, but the other was raped in her country.”

She added that health checks are still being carried out on the second group of migrants.

 

Of the 160 rescued migrants, 129 were men, 15 were women and 17 were minors.

The NGO’s vessel can hold a maximum of 300 people and Lanuza said that the migrants will remain with them until they are allowed to dock at the nearest safe port, possibly in Malta or Italy.