Watch the ‘heart-stopping’ moment rescuers pull drowning migrants out of the Mediterranean Sea
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On Wednesday, an overcrowded fishing boat carrying an estimated 600 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Libya.
The migrants, who were being smuggled into Europe, spilled into the waters. This prompted the Irish navy and the Italian coast guard to scramble to save them.
Among the first at the scene, however, was the nongovernmental organization Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres, whose workers raced to spot drowning migrants and pull them to safety.
The organization released a dramatic video of the effort on Thursday and called for international organizations to beef up support for rescue efforts in the region.
“It was a horrific sight, people desperately clinging to lifebelts, boats, and anything they could, fighting for their lives, amidst people drowning, and those who had already died,” Juan MatÍas, an MSF project coordinator, said in a statement. “The fact that we were first called to assist this boat and then shortly afterwards sent to another one highlights the severe lack of resources available for rescue operations.”
According to the group, its Dignity I rescue boat responded to two migrant vessels that day. In the first case, they rescued 94 people. In the second case — the rescue effort shown in the video released Thursday — MSF workers arrived at the scene just as the boat had capsized.
According to the Associated Press, as the Irish naval vessel Le Niamh approached the second boat in distress, migrants shifted to one side of the boat and it capsized.
The AP reported that about 300 people survived but that 25 bodies were found. Migrants on the boat said that 400 to 600 people had been on board.
According to MSF, nearly 2,000 people are thought to have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Africa this year in a desperate bid for asylum or work in Europe.
In recent months, the incidents have become increasingly deadly. Smugglers often use unseaworthy vessels overfilled with migrants to make the journey from the coast of Libya.
In April, another migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya, killing up to 800 people. Only 28 survived, according to the AP, including the smugglers
