Sea-Eye ships rescue 178 people over the weekend – including a three-day-old baby

In a joint operation with Sea-Watch, SEA-EYE 4 rescued 122 people in 4 operations. SEA-EYE 5 rescued 56 people in extreme weather conditions.

Between Friday evening 7 March and Sunday morning 9 March, the crew of the SEA-EYE 4 responded to a total of four distress calls. During the rescue operations, the crew, consisting of members of Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye, took 122 people in distress on board. The vessel is now on its way to Vibo Valencia after the Italian authorities designated the port, which is some 460 kilometres away. The rescue was a joint operation between the two organisations – the same crew had rescued 41 people and brought them to shore in Naples on 22 February.

In addition, on the night of Sunday to Monday, the crew of the SEA-EYE 5 rescued 56 people from a rubber boat, including a three-day-old baby. Due to the difficult weather conditions, the operation took more than two hours and the crew was able to bring everyone safely on board the SEA-EYE 5 at around 3 a.m. A medical evacuation was organised for the baby and its family in or near Lampedusa to the Italian coastguard.

“At 3 a.m. this morning we embarked 56 people onboard the SEA-EYE 5. They had been on a rubber boat for at least 12 hours. They were wet, seasick and dehydrated. Many of them were weak and exhausted. Amongst them was a three day old baby who required treatment for an infection and evacuation,” explains Patricia Darlington, a doctor from German Doctors e. V. on board the SEA-EYE 5.

The SEA-EYE 5 rescue operation was funded by, among others, the UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe.