MARSEILLE: The aid ship Ocean Viking rescued 48 young migrants from Libya on Tuesday in the Mediterranean Sea, the aid group operating the boat said on Wednesday.
Marseille-based SOS Mediterranee said in a statement that the group in an overloaded small boat was made up of “90 percent unaccompanied minors”.
It added that the Ocean Viking had intervened after receiving information about the boat from NATO aircraft via VHF radio. “Most of the survivors are originally from The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau,” according to SOS Mediterranee, which added that they are “now safe and resting in onboard shelters”.
Located on the west coast of Africa, Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world, and one of the most corrupt.
The aid group complained about Italian authorities issuing permission to Ocean Viking to dock to disembark people at the remote port of Ravenna – about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) or a four-day journey away.
“This practice … drains the Mediterranean of search and rescue resources and increases the suffering of those rescued,” SOS Mediterranee said.
According to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 1,985 people have gone missing or died trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea this year.