The first intervention took place on Saturday afternoon in the Maltese search and rescue zone, with 93 people on an overloaded boat, the NGO SOS Méditerranée, headquartered in Marseille, said in a statement. During the night from Saturday to Sunday, 88 other migrants including a baby were taken care of in the Libyan search and rescue zone.
On Sunday morning, the Ocean Viking, co-chartered by SOS Méditerranée with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), spotted a new wooden boat in the Maltese area which threatened to take the water. The 22 people who were there were brought on board.
49 unaccompanied minors
Finally, the teams of SOS Méditerranée carried out a fourth rescue on Sunday morning, still in the Maltese area, taking on board 25 people who were in a fiberglass boat in distress in international waters. The ship had been alerted by the Colibri 2, a plane from the NGO Pilotes Volontaires which helps in rescue operations through aerial observation.
Among the 51 rescued minors, 49 were unaccompanied, the NGO said in its press release.