A migrant relief organization said Sunday that rescue ships picked up more than 700 people trying to cross the Mediterranean in homemade vessels this weekend, mostly off the coastlines of Libya and Malta.
The new data were released as UN migration experts reiterated their calls for a more equitable way to distribute responsibility for their care, rather than leaving it to Mediterranean countries.
Since Saturday, SOS Mediterranee’s vessel, the Ocean Viking, has carried out six distinct missions in international waters, according to the organization. It rescued 106 people off the Maltese coast after being informed by the German humanitarian group Sea-Watch, according to the Marseille-based organization.
SOS Mediterranee stated, “The youngest survivor rescued in this operation is just 3 months old.”
The Ocean Viking joined vessels from Sea Watch and ResQship, a German company, to assist 400 individuals in distress in the central Mediterranean over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, according to the organisation.
From this weekend’s activities, Ocean Viking alone has 555 passengers on board, including at least 28 women, two of whom are pregnant. The organization has yet to decide where they will be able to leave them in a safe port.
Despite the country’s continued insecurity, Libya remains one of the primary departure locations for tens of thousands of migrants trying to attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing. The majority of them attempt to reach the Italian coast, which is approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles) distant.
