In three days of its newly launched rescue mission, search and rescue charity Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) saved 473 men, women and children.
The summer mission was launched on Saturday, May 2nd when the 20-strong crew aboard the Phoenix , including camcopter operators, search and rescue professionals and medics, left the Maltese harbour.
MOAS said that it engaged in the first rescue immediately on Sunday afternoon when its crew assisted 369 migrants, mainly from Eritrea. Among those rescued were pregnant women and more than 40 children, even babies.
Early Monday morning, an additional 104 people were rescued with the assistance of the Phoenix .
This year, the MOAS search and rescue vessel Phoenix runs in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
“Nothing prepares you for the sight of 369 people crammed into a fishing boat, ” said Chris Catrambone, the co-Founder of MOAS along with his wife Regina .
“The people we rescued yesterday afternoon were packed in so tightly that their legs had cramped and they struggled to move as we rescued them. Even after hours of rescue there were so many people left it didn’t seem that the boat was emptying, it was just that full.”
Those brought on board by the MOAS rescue crews on Sunday afternoon were given an initial triage by the MSF medical team who treated conditions including diabetes, dehydration, conditions related to pregnancy, skin infections and injuries sustained during beatings and violent attacks.
All those rescued are currently in a stable condition and receiving food, water and other essential items onboard the MY Phoenix, MSF said.
Médecins Sans Frontières’ teams in Pozzallo, Sicily, are currently providing support during the landing of more than 800 survivors of this weekend’s Mediterranean crossing.
Teams on the ground in Sicily will provide initial medical screening as well as health care and mental health support to the hundred of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in need.
This weekend more than 6,000 people were rescued in several operations on the Mediterranean Sea while making the treacherous crossing from Libya to Europe, according to MSF.
Images: MOAS.EU / Jason Florio