After an 11-hour operation, more than 400 migrants were extracted from a boat off the coast of Malta, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), whose ship had reacted to a distress call.
The distress call was picked up by MSF’s rescue ship, the Geo Barents, while it was making its way to the Mediterranean to seek shelter from the storm. On Tuesday, “after more than 10 hours of sailing in a turbulent sea,” the Geo Barents finally made it to the boat, according to MSF.
🌊 This morning, at 4 am, after more than 10 hours of navigation in a stormy sea, our team finally reached the boat in distress. pic.twitter.com/RRA4FtTIRz
— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) April 4, 2023
Sadly, the weather prevented our team from performing the rescue directly, which may have put both the lives of the victims and the MSF crew at risk.
But by early afternoon, the Geo Barents was able to launch its speed boats to the vessel, MSF tweeted along with photos showing the deck of the blue and white boat packed with people wearing life jackets.
“After more than 11 hours of operation, the rescue is now over and a total of 440 people, including 8 women and 30 children, are now safely aboard GeoBarents and being cared for by the team,” the charity tweeted.
The Geo Barents was able to send its speed boats to the vessel by early afternoon, however, according to MSF, who also tweeted images of the deck of the blue and white boat, which was crammed with people wearing life jackets.
A total of 440 people, including 8 women and 30 children, are currently securely aboard GeoBarents and receiving care from the team after more than 11 hours of operation.
Italian officials detained the Geo Barents in February on suspicion of violating recent regulations regarding missions to save lives in the Mediterranean.
In June 2021, Doctors Without Borders made a return to sea rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean with the ship Geo Barents. The sixth humanitarian ship on which MSF staff have worked is the Geo Barents. This year marks the seventh year that they have conducted maritime operations in the Mediterranean.
