The humanitarian ship “Ocean Viking,” chartered by SOS Méditerranée, rescued 112 people off the coast of Libya during two rescue operations carried out between Saturday February 22 and Sunday February 23, the Marseille-based NGO announced.
According to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 129 people trying to reach Europe have already disappeared or died in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2025.
In 2024, this figure stood at 2,333, the majority in the central Mediterranean, considered one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world.
On the night of Saturday to Sunday, the crew intervened to assist a fiberglass boat, rescuing 25 migrants, including three women, one of whom was pregnant.
On Sunday morning, 87 other persons were rescued, while they were on board a wooden boat, in coordination with the Italian authorities.
The persons taken care of are mainly from Bangladesh, Somalia and Egypt, the NGO said.
The ship has been authorized to dock in Livorno, Tuscany, a port located over 1,000 km from the rescue zone.
SL/te/lb/gik/APA