60 migrants die in dinghy in Mediterranean, survivors say
Survivors say that at least 60 migrants lost their lives after a rubber dinghy encountered difficulties in the Mediterranean Sea. The 25 survivors were rescued by the Ocean Viking, a vessel operated by the humanitarian organisation SOS Méditerranée.
According to the survivors, they had embarked from Zawiya on the Libyan coast several days prior to their rescue. However, their journey turned perilous when the dinghy’s engine malfunctioned after three days, leaving them stranded at sea without food or water.
Among the deceased were women and at least one child, believed to have succumbed to dehydration and starvation rather than drowning.
SOS Méditerranée disclosed that the Ocean Viking team had sighted the distressed dinghy, which had set sail the previous Friday, through binoculars on Wednesday. They conducted a medical evacuation in collaboration with Italian coast guards.
The survivors, described as being in very frail health, are currently receiving medical attention. Two individuals, in critical condition and unconscious, were airlifted to Sicily for urgent treatment.
The remaining 23 survivors are still aboard the Ocean Viking, alongside over 200 other migrants who were rescued from two additional boats.