Joint MOAS and Italian Red Cross mission rescues almost 800 people

Phoenix and Responder, the two vessels operated under a joint mission by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) and the Italian Red Cross, rescued 778 migrants off the Libya coast early in the night on Wednesday.

Three bodies were recovered in the same rescue mission, according to statement issued by MOAS.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome informed the Phoenix on Tuesday about 11 rubber boats that were dangerously overcrowded.

On reaching its area of operation, the Phoenix crew assisted an Italian vessel in the rescue of a large wooden boat carrying over 1,000 people.

Three bodies, those of two men and a woman – all probably under the age of 25 – were recovered from the vessel’s hold, while 403 people were transferred to the MOAS vessel.

The MOAS Responder assisted the Italian Red Cross in the rescue mission

MOAS said that the Responder assisted a number of other search-and-rescue assets throughout the night and welcomed on board a total of 375 migrants.

“The persistent bad weather over the past week had prevented people from crossing for several days, and large numbers of people amassed on the Libyan coast over Monday and Tuesday, with around 72 vessels departing within short distances of each other,” it said.

MOAS said that a total of over 10,000 people have been rescued over the past 48 hours thanks to the effort and cooperation of all search-and-rescue assets present in the Mediterranean.

“Yet despite best efforts, 28 bodies are reported to have been recovered over the past 48 hours, although the true extent of numbers lost can never be confirmed,” it said.

Both MOAS vessels are currently sailing north towards Italy in order to disembark the migrants rescued.

The Phoenix will arrive in Corigliano Calabro early on Saturday while the Responder is expected to arrive in Cagliari on Friday morning.