The Geo Barents, a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) humanitarian ship, rescued 440 migrants in distress aboard a ship in international waters off Malta on Tuesday, the NGO announced.
“After more than 11 hours of operation, the rescue is now complete and a total of 440 people, including 8 women and 30 children, are now safely on board the Geo Barents and are being cared for by the team,” MSF Sea said. on Twitter on Wednesday, posting photos of the rescue.
distress alert
While seeking refuge in the Mediterranean during a storm, the Geo Barents received a distress alert and changed course to provide assistance, the NGO said.
“Unfortunately, the weather conditions did not allow our team to carry out the rescue directly, which could have endangered the lives of the people and the MSF team,” he said.
“This morning at 4 am, after more than 10 hours of sailing in rough seas, our team finally reached the ship in distress,” he added.
In February, the Italian authorities had immobilized the MSF humanitarian ship, accused of having breached the new rules on migrant rescue missions.
Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, took over the presidency of a coalition government in October after vowing to reduce the number of migrants arriving in Italy.
Source: BFM TV
