BARCELONA, Spain — In a tragic incident in the Mediterranean Sea, a deadly migration attempt claimed the lives of four individuals, two of whom were young children. This unfortunate event unfolded as a German humanitarian organization, involved in the rescue operation, reported the sequence of events.
Responding to a distress signal put out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, the nonprofit organization RESQSHIP dispatched its vessel, NADIR, which came across 62 migrants stranded in international waters under Malta’s jurisdiction. These migrants, originally from Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria, had set off from the Libyan coast three days prior on a precarious rubber boat that faced engine troubles.
When the rescue vessel reached the stranded migrants, they discovered that two young children, aged 3 and 4, had already succumbed. Additionally, a third individual was found unconscious and could not be revived. Survivors of the ill-fated journey recounted that another person had drowned during their perilous voyage.
An Italian coastguard ship arrived four hours after the initial rescue, according to the German organization, and airlifted six individuals who were in critical condition, including two infants and their mothers. Due to the overcrowding of their vessel with other migrants needing assistance, the remaining survivors endured further hardships as they suffered from chemical burns caused by the mixing of seawater and fuel, and were transported to Lampedusa, Italy.
“This catastrophe could have been averted and reflects the inadequacies in European migration policies,” commented RESQSHIP in a public statement. “European authorities are failing to provide essential coordinated support and ensure secure passages, leaving vulnerable individuals to fend for themselves—with fatal consequences. Allowing children to die of thirst during such journeys is an unacceptable political lapse.”
Frontex confirmed the sighting of a white rubber boat adrift within the Maltese Search and Rescue (SAR) zone at precisely 1:05 p.m. UTC, promptly alerting all Marine Rescue Coordination Centers, including those of Malta, and broadcasting a mayday call for immediate help.
“The emergency communication explicitly stated the urgent condition of a distressed vessel and provided accurate coordinates to facilitate swift action from nearby vessels and maritime authorities,” Frontex detailed in its release. “At the time, the NADIR was the nearest vessel, approximately 15 nautical miles from the location.”
The Maltese Armed Forces did not provide a response to inquiries regarding the incident. The Mediterranean Sea remains notorious as the world’s deadliest migratory route, with the International Organization for Migration recording nearly 32,000 fatalities since 2014. This year, the Mediterranean has already claimed at least 565 lives of those attempting to reach Europe.