A German civilian group has rescued nearly 50 migrants stranded on an abandoned oil platform in the central Mediterranean.
The organisation said on Thursday that a vessel operated by the RESQSHIP organisation discovered 47 people who had been stranded for hours on the Didon oil rig located in Libya’s search and rescue zone on Tuesday.
RESQSHIP added that the crew was able to get all people safely on board after the group had been stranded on the platform for about 10 hours.
A speed boat operated by Libya’s coastguard arrived during the operation but did not disrupt it, according to the organisation.
Migrant aid groups operating in the Mediterranean including RESQSHIP have repeatedly accused the Libyan coastguard of seeking to obstruct rescue missions, including by firing on their vessels.
Following the operation at the oil rig, the RESQSHIP crew was called to another incident in Tunisian waters, rescuing a further 43 people from two unseaworthy vessels after coordinating with Tunisian authorities, according to the group.
All 90 people rescued that night including a pregnant woman, minors, two toddlers and a baby – have since been brought “to the nearest place of safety, Lampedusa,” it said.
RESQSHIP board member Lina von Dobschütz said that the start of this year has been the “deadliest since records began” for migrants attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to reach the European Union.
“The fact that we had to provide assistance on three consecutive missions tonight only serves to highlight just how urgently our work is needed along the refugee route,’’ she was quoted as saying.
Italy is one of the main arrival points for migrants within the bloc due to its proximity to the African coast.
According to UN data, 1,126 died or went missing last year on that route, though the real number is believed to be much higher.