Refugee dead aboard Banksy-funded boat

A REFUGEE is dead aboard the Banksy-funded rescue boat, Louise Michel, due to overcrowding.

The Banksy-funded refugee rescue boat, which Euro Weekly News reported about earlier this week, has become stranded in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Malta, with a dead migrant onboard.

Banksy’s vessel, the Louise Michel, become overcrowded with over 200 migrants on board and a crew compliment of 10.

The Louise Michel, formerly a French Navy boat, has been sending out distress calls repeatedly to the coast guard, however their SOS calls for assistance are not being responded to.

The vessel is a drift in the Mediterranean Sea with dozens of the 219 migrants suffering from severe dehydration and some with fuel burns.

According to the official twitter feed for the boat, the vessel is ‘unable to safely move and nobody is coming to our aid’. Its inability to manoeuvre safely is being reported as due to the overcrowding on the vessel itself.

One tweet from the vessel read, “#LouiseMichel is unable to move, she is no longer the master of her manoeuvre, due to her overcrowded deck and a life raft deployed at her side, but above all due to Europe ignoring our emergency calls for immediate assistance. The responsible authorities remain unresponsive.”

‘We repeat, #LouiseMichel is unable to safely move and nobody is coming to our aid. The people rescued have experienced extreme trauma, it’s time for them to be brought to a #PlaceOfSafety. We need immediate assistance.’ read another.

These are the survivors you are turning your back on #EU. After escaping untold horror and inhumanity they need a place of safety. @guardiacostiera @Armed_Forces_MT you must act now. pic.twitter.com/W4IEUAGido

— LouiseMichel (@MVLouiseMichel) August 29, 2020

The purpose of the project is to give assistance to refugees that is now no longer available from European authorities. There have already been a number of successful by the Louise Michel with 130 migrants being rescued on Friday alone.

In an earlier tweet from the vessels official twitter feed, the crew confirmed that they were “safeguarding 219 people with a crew of 10” however one of the refugees had already unfortunately died.

The overarching mission of the Louise Michel is “to uphold maritime law and rescue anyone in peril without prejudice”.