ambulance ship “Ocean Viking” rescues 244 people in the Mediterranean Sea

The ambulance ship Ocean Viking rescued 244 migrants in distress off the coast of Libya during three rescue operations in one day, the NGO SOS Méditerranée announced on Wednesday December 27.

A first distress call was received by theOcean Viking Wednesday around 1 a.m., and helped rescue 122 people from a wooden boat “overloaded” in which there were castaways without rescue equipment, including eight unaccompanied minors, specifies the organization. The Italian authorities immediately designated Bari (southeast of Italy) as a safe place for disembarkation, details SOS Méditerranée.

A second overloaded wooden boat was spotted around midday, leading to the rescue of 106 people. The operation was still underway when another boat in distress was spotted 26 km from theOcean Vikingallowing the rescue of 16 people under the coordination of the Italian authorities.

SOS Méditerranée has rescued more than 39,000 people in the Mediterranean since 2016, mainly in the central Mediterranean, the most dangerous migration route in the world. Since January 2023, 2,678 people have gone missing after trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, according to the International Organization for Migration.