Sea-Eye 4 looks to Sicily after Malta shuts doors on 233 migrants

With 223 people on board, the rescue boat Sea-Eye 4 is close off Sicily in search of a safe port after Maltese authorities shut its doors on the NGO.

Four rescue operations were carried out in the Maltese search and rescue zone since Thursday 16 December, with the crew on board still looking for another boat in distress.

Among the migrants onboard are 29 women, four of whom are pregnant, and eight children.

Photo: Sea-Eye 4/Fiona Alihosi

Crewmembers are currently treating the survivors on board, but their health is deteriorating. Two pregnant women were experiencing stomach pains, and another two people suffered grade three chemical burns.

One child has a broken arm and another has a broken finger. Several others have had to be treated for hypothermia.

The Times of Malta alleged that the Armed Forced turned down Sea-Eye’s request for assistance, claiming Malta is not in a position to provide a place of safety.

Civil sea rescue organisations like Sea-Eye say they are are currently the only European forces looking for people attempting the dangerous Mediterranean sea crossing.

Sea-Eye spokesperson Sophie Weidenhiller decried the Maltese government’s failure to coordinate distress cases at sea.

“The cold-blooded ignorance of the EU costs us human lives – the sea-grave is growing, even if we constantly fight against it,” she said.

With the weather expected to deteriorate, the NGO warned that the chances of survival for people still at sea will decrease significantly.

Photo: Sea-Eye 4/Camilla Kranzusch