Dramatic rescue in the Mediterranean: 58 lives saved

By Stefano Leszczynski 

Recent numbers indicate that the ongoing flow of migrants across the Mediterranean shows no signs of slowing down. On Sunday night alone, at least 500 people were rescued and brought to shore in Lampedusa. Meanwhile, in the waters separating Europe and North Africa, at least 18 ships from civil society fleets are currently conducting search and rescue missions.

The Mare Jonio Mission

The most recent mission occurred in the Tunisian Search and Rescue zone and was completed by the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans. It was a dramatic and unexpected rescue after 10 hours of sailing, thanks to a tip-off from Alarm Phone Hotline, an emergency support project for people at sea. The 58 migrants on board, having departed from Libya, had been drifting for over 22 hours and were utterly exhausted and without hope. Luca Casarini, head of the mission, who is currently attending the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican, was among the first to share the news of the night’s events.

Part of the mission

Libyan detention camps at full capacity 

In an interview with Vatican media, Luca Casarini condemned the blatant disregard for human rights, not just in Libya but in all detention centres where migrants are held before reaching Europe. “Intercepting migrants has become a business,” Casarini explains. “And this brings us to another urgent issue: the opening of Italy’s detention and expulsion centre in Albania. This is a dangerous precedent because it effectively erodes the right to asylum, a fundamental pillar of our democracies since World War II.”

The Mediterranean: a graveyard

Since January, at least 1,400 people have died in the central Mediterranean, 20% of them children. “In a way, they died because they weren’t rescued,” Casarini stresses. He points out that there are military ships in these waters, “yet they’re not tasked with search and rescue, which is incomprehensible.”

"Thousands die in the Mediterranean because states fail to offer help."

Raising public awareness

Reflecting on the significance of his presence at the Synod, Casarini is clear: “It’s an incredible opportunity to see that the problems we’re facing in the Mediterranean are the same issues people face everywhere in the world. It’s also a chance to think about a new future, one that starts with those who are suffering, those on the margins. We can understand what a new world looks like by beginning with the most vulnerable. And this reflection is certainly central to the Synod.”