The Ocean Viking, an ambulance vessel chartered by SOS Méditerranée, rescued 178 migrants on Wednesday during two operations in international waters, as stated in a press release by the NGO.
In the first operation, 140 individuals attempting to reach Europe were crammed into a wooden boat that appeared dangerously undersized, according to photos released by SOS Méditerranée. “The vessel was overloaded, severely tilting, and at risk of capsizing,” the NGO reported. Among those rescued were five women and four children.
Many survivors suffered from skin burns due to fuel exposure and seasickness, SOS Méditerranée added. The second operation resulted in the rescue of 38 people from a “fragile inflatable boat” in the Maltese search and rescue region.
Rescue teams from the Marseille-based NGO and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) provided assistance. According to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 1,710 individuals attempting to reach Europe have gone missing or died in the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of the year.
