Mission Lifeline delivers urgently needed aid to SEA-EYE 4
More than 800 people have been waiting for a safe port for 2 days
On Saturday morning, Mission Lifeline e. V.’s RISE ABOVE delivered urgently needed relief supplies to the SEA-EYE 4 of Sea-Eye e. V. The rescue ship’s crew has been taking care of more than 800 rescued people on board since the night from Wednesday to Thursday. Food and blankets are scarce, so the delivery from the RISE ABOVE was urgently needed. The relief supplies include food and warm blankets.
There are still around 800 people on board the SEA-EYE 4, who were rescued jointly by Sea-Eye, Mission Lifeline and German Doctors within 48 hours. Well over 200 people are minors, including many children under the age of 10. Five women are pregnant. An exact count has not been possible so far, because the crew of 24 has been busy taking care of the rescued people on board. More than 200 people have had to be treated for various medical needs in the onboard hospital by German Doctors doctor Daniela Klein so far.
“Our shipboard doctor reported to the Head of Mission that the hospital crew is currently treating around 25 people on a permanent basis. The causes include hypothermia, severe complaints of seasickness or high blood pressure. But there are also injuries that were inflicted on the survivors during the escape, which indicate torture. We must urgently point out that these people should be given medical treatment on land as soon as possible and therefore there must be no stand-off here,” says Dr Christine Winkelmann, Chairperson of German Doctors e. V.
“At present, we receive more support from the small Dresden-based sea rescue organization Mission Lifeline than from all EU states together! In order for the exceptional humanitarian situation on the SEA-EYE 4 to end, the more than 800 rescued people must be assigned a safe port without delay. Our crew is working at the limits of what is humanly possible. Negotiations on the distribution of the rescued can be conducted even while they are being cared for on land. The ship must be allowed to dock immediately to ensure the safety of all those rescued and the crew,” demands Gorden Isler, chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.
„In Germany, more than 200 cities and municipalities are ready to take in people. Time and again, discussions about the distribution of survivors and people seeking protection are only intensively conducted once they are on board a German rescue ship. Together, we therefore call on the current and future German government to be generous in taking in people seeking protection and to show more solidarity with Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece,” said Axel Steier, Chairman of Mission Lifeline e. V.
The SEA-EYE 4 and the RISE ABOVE had rescued over 800 people in 7 rescue missions within 48 hours since Tuesday, 02.11.2021. Since Thursday, the SEA-EYE 4 has been looking for a safe port for the rescued people.
