Rescue on the oil platform: 32 migrants in mortal danger!

Rescue on the oil platform: 32 migrants in mortal danger!

The crew of the rescue ship “Aurora” belonging to the German NGO Sea Watch rescued 32 migrants from a dramatic situation on Tuesday. They had been on the Miskar oil platform off Tunisia for four days after their rubber boat sank. The group that set out from Libya, suffering from conditions of cold, hunger and thirst, included women and children. Tragically, there was one death among the migrants, the aid organization said, pointing out that the people urgently needed help as no one else was there to rescue them. According to Sea Watch, the platform was in international waters, where no government had taken action to free the migrants, despite repeated calls for help, including from Alarm Phone and the NGO itself.

The “Aurora” set off from the Italian island of Lampedusa to alleviate the plight of migrants. Authorities in Malta and Italy had failed to respond to calls for help, leading to a parliamentary question from Italian MEP Sandro Ruotolo. He called on the European Commission to explain the failure of the responsible authorities to fulfill their obligation under international law and the European regulatory framework to rescue people in distress at sea. Sea Watch sharply criticized the fact that it had once again taken responsibility for the rescue while the institutions turned away. “It is an inhumane and deeply racist policy,” said spokeswoman Giorgia Linardi in a press release. The aid organization had already deployed a reconnaissance aircraft that spotted the migrants on the platform as the situation on the ground became increasingly dangerous.

The desperate migrants had earlier told Alarm Phone that they had fled to the platform after their dinghy's engine failed because they had to fall overboard. Those remaining on the platform had hoped that the Tunisian navy would provide them with assistance, but this never came. Instead, Sea Watch is now waiting to be assigned a safe port by the Italian state. This serious situation once again highlights how a lack of political decisions endangers human lives. Meanwhile, the NGO hopes for faster decisions and immediate intervention by the European authorities to prevent further, potentially fatal developments.

oe24 reported that the migrants were exposed to the elements on the platform, and Il Post added that the EU and the affected states are shirking their responsibilities.