Italian authorities accused of abandoning 30 migrants to drown in the Mediterranean

At least 30 migrants are believed to have drowned after their boat capsised in the Mediterranean sea with an NGO accusing the Italian authorities of abandoning them.

The Italian authorities are today, Monday, March 13, being accused of allowing at least 30 migrants to drown after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean sea yesterday, Sunday 12. According to the NGO Sea-Watch, they contacted the Italians to inform them of the situation but the operator simply hung up on them.

A total of 47 people are thought to have departed from Libya bound for Italian shores. 17 of them were reportedly rescued by a merchant ship, while the fate of the remaining 30 is so far unconfirmed.

An audio clip posted on their Twitter profile appears to confirm this. It contains a dialogue between a lady from Sea-Watch and the operator, which ends with the operator simply thanking the caller, saying ‘Bye’, and the call ends.

According to a series of eight tweets from Sea-Watch, this is how the incident unfolded: “The distress at sea was known to the authorities and ended fatally. While the Italian government is obstructing civil sea rescue and its own coast guard is visibly overwhelmed, emergency calls go unanswered. #Italien watched 30 people drown!”.

Der Seenotfall war den Behörden bekannt & endete tödlich. Während die italienische Regierung die zivile Seenotrettung behindert & die eigene Küstenwache sichtlich überfordert ist, bleiben Notrufe unbeantwortet. #Italien hat 30 Menschen beim Ertrinken zugesehen!
Ein Thread

(1/8) pic.twitter.com/Y6SjBWI2EB

— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

“Saturday morning, 10:32 am: 9 hours after @alarm_phone reported the first distress call, our airborne crew sighted the boat with 47 people on board. 2 minutes later #Seabird2 sends a mayday relay. The coordinates are given. A rescue is urgent”.

Samstagmorgen, 10:32 Uhr: 9 Stunden nachdem @alarm_phone den ersten Notruf gemeldet hat, sichtet unsere Airborne Crew das Boot mit 47 Menschen an Bord. 2 Minuten später sendet #Seabird2 einen Mayday Relay. Die Koordinaten werden genannt. Eine Rettung ist dringend.

(2/8)

— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

“Immediately 2 emails are sent to the Italian sea rescue centre in #Rom . Since the boat is in the Libyan search and rescue zone, #Italien wants nothing to do with the rescue and refers to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard”.

Umgehend werden 2 E-Mails an die italienische Seenotrettungsleitstelle in #Rom gesendet. Da sich das Boot in der libyschen Such- und Rettungszone befindet, will #Italien nichts mit der Rettung zu tun haben und verweist an die sogenannte Libysche Küstenwache.

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— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

“We call the sea rescue control centre in #Libyen – the port authority in Benghazi cannot be reached. And it turns out: So far, neither Italy nor Libya has organized the urgently needed rescue of the 47 people. #Italien does not react to this information”.

Wir rufen die Seenotrettungsleitstelle in #Libyen an – die Hafenbehörde in Benghazi sei nicht erreichbar. Und es stellt sich heraus: Bisher organisiert weder Italien noch Libyen die dringend notwendige Rettung der 47 Menschen. #Italien reagiert auf diese Information nicht.

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— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

“At the same time, #Seabird2 reached the merchant ship Basilis L by radio near the distress area. It has already received instructions from #Italien to only listen to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. We do not know whether a rescue will be initiated”.

Zeitgleich erreicht #Seabird2 über Funk das Handelsschiff Basilis L in der Nähe des Seenotfalls. Es hat von #Italien bereits die Anweisung bekommen, nur auf die sogenannte Libysche Küstenwache zu hören. Ob eine Rettung eingeleitet wird, erfahren wir nicht.

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— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

“At 4:51 p.m. we reach someone again in Libya. We get confirmed: The patrol boats in Benghazi are not equipped for the weather conditions, Libya cannot rescue, will not rescue & also does not coordinate a rescue by the merchant vessel Basilis L”.

Um 16:51 Uhr erreichen wir erneut jemanden in Libyen. Wir bekommen bestätigt: Die Patrouillenboote in Benghazi sind für die Wetterbedingungen nicht ausgestattet, Libyen kann nicht retten, wird nicht retten & koordiniert auch keine Rettung durch das Handelsschiff Basilis L.

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— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

“At 17:02 we call #Rom again and ask who is now responsible for the rescue. We get no answer, the Italian sea rescue control centre hangs up. At the time, 47 people were in immediate mortal danger”.

Um 17:02 Uhr rufen wir erneut in #Rom an und fragen, wer nun die Verantwortung für die Rettung übernimmt. Wir bekommen keine Antwort, die italienische Seenotrettungsleitstelle legt auf. Zu dem Zeitpunkt befinden sich 47 Menschen in unmittelbarer Lebensgefahr.

(7/8) pic.twitter.com/6WTG5MVUBw

— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

“No rescue is initiated overnight. In the early morning of March 12, the boat that all the relevant authorities knew about capsized while the merchant ship FROLAND rescued 17 people. 30 people remain missing. #Italien , #Europa – these are your dead”.

Über Nacht wird keine Rettung eingeleitet. Am frühen Morgen des 12. März kentert das Boot, von dem alle zuständigen Behörden wussten, während das Handelsschiff FROLAND 17 Menschen rettet. 30 Menschen bleiben vermisst. #Italien, #Europa – das sind eure Toten.

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— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) March 13, 2023

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