Doctors Without Borders Vessel Successfully Rescues 440 Irregular Migrants In The Mediterranean

In a vessel dubbed the GeoBarents, a French-based humanitarian organization named the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has successfully rescued approximately 440 irregular migrants in the Mediterranean, close to the island nation of Malta.

The MSF on Twitter said on Tuesday that on the previous day, the GeoBarents was headed to the north, searching for shelter owing to poor weather conditions.

While on the way, the ship got a distress alert and changed the course to render assistance.

Almost 500 lives were at grave risk in the waters off Malta.

The group further added that the vessel in distress was finally reached after over 10 hours of navigation in stormy waters.

After over 11 hours of operation, the rescue was over. The group elaborated that 440 individuals, including eight women and 30 children, were safely on GeoBarents.

The Mediterranean Sea is an essential route for irregular migration to Europe.

Migrants’ boats that are distressed and seeking help are usually rescued by European NGOs instead of relevant European authorities.

The NGOs struggle with the evacuation of irregular migrants owing to EU member states’ refusal to open up safe ports.

Irregular migrants who manage to reach Europe by their means first land on Lampedusa Island, the closest of Italy to North Africa.

Reference: Euro News, Anadolu Agency