Life Support | 146 Survivors Disembarked in Savona
On Sunday 10 August, EMERGENCY’s search and rescue ship Life Support disembarked 146 people in the port of Savona, northern Italy, following their rescue from boats in distress in the central Mediterranean.
Between 6 and 7 August, Life Support conducted three separate rescue operations. The first two involved overcrowded boats, unfit for navigation and carrying vulnerable people: a rubber dinghy with 31 people on board, including a pregnant woman and eleven unaccompanied minors, and a white rubber dinghy carrying 47 people, none of whom had life jackets, including three minors.
During the third operation, 69 people were rescued from an overcrowded fibreglass boat, which approached Life Support at high speed and dangerously pulled alongside the moving ship, while the drivers of the fibreglass boat urged the people on board to jump onto Life Support. The rescue was complex; some people fell into the water while trying to jump onto the ship, and had no life jackets. One of the survivors was evacuated by an Italian Coast Guard helicopter due to his critical medical condition.
“It took us four days of sailing to reach Savona, the port assigned to us by the authorities. Assigning a port of disembarkation so far from the rescue site not only fails to take into account the suffering of those on board, but also forces us to remain outside of the operational area in the Mediterranean for a longer period of time. Search and rescue vessels must be able to go where they are needed, instead of spending so much time travelling to distant ports,” commented Domenico Pugliese, captain of Life Support. “We would like to thank the authorities and volunteers in Savona who assisted us and ensured that the disembarkation operations were carried out without difficulty. We send our best wishes to the people we disembarked, and hope that they will receive the right psychological, medical and legal support. I cannot help but think of the young man who was transported by helicopter because of his critical condition. We wish him all the best.”
The survivors’ countries of origin included Sudan, a country that has been at war for more than two years, as well as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Somalia, countries afflicted by violence, poverty, political instability and the effects of the climate crisis.
“During the long days at sea that separated us from the port of disembarkation, I had the opportunity to listen to the stories of the people on board our ship,” said Ousmane Thiame, Cultural Mediator on board Life Support. “I was particularly struck by the story of a young man who had been trying to escape from Libya for nine years. He told us that during this time, he had been subjected to torture, such as having his hands hammered. He finally managed to escape, and when describing the moment he saw Life Support, the emotion in his voice was moving.”
A Sudanese man on board shared his experience:
“I come from the Kordofan region. When the war broke out, I was in Khartoum with my wife and family. I was a small trader and things were going well, but when the war came, everyone fled: no one remained in Khartoum. I had saved some money and left for Darfur, then crossed the border into Chad, where I stayed for eight months. From there, I found a way to reach Libya. I worked in the fields and, when I had saved enough money, I decided to leave for Europe to seek protection and find a safe way to bring my family with me. The sea crossing was a nightmare, we were afraid of dying, we took on a lot of water. When we saw your ship, we knew we would survive: it was an indescribable feeling. I still can’t imagine what my life will be like in Europe, but I know what I want: to seek protection, obtain documents, bring my family here and build a future together.”
M., from Afghanistan, also shared his story:
“We took refuge in Pakistan after being forced to flee Afghanistan, but there, Afghan refugees are forcibly evicted and their homes are looted. In Pakistan, I was a motorcycle mechanic, but because of the violence, I was forced to abandon everything. I have nothing left. I had a lot of debts and couldn’t make ends meet. A long time ago, I decided to come to Europe. I tried with all my strength to build a life in Pakistan, but the government abandoned us. In Afghanistan, the situation is even worse: there is no education for children, no healthcare, no work. We had no chance.
The journey was terrible. During the boat crossing, they forced us to get on board and settle in as best we could. We went through many struggles, including in Libya. We were treated like animals. They locked us in small rooms, with no possibility of leaving, talking or walking. They didn’t even give us anything to eat. It was a nightmare. We stayed there for almost a month, completely isolated. Now, finally, we are almost there. It has been a very difficult journey, but I am very happy. Happy to be in Europe, happy to have hope.”
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The Life Support team is comprised of 29 people, including crew, doctors, nurses, cultural mediators and rescuers. With the disembarkation on 10 August, the ship has completed its 35th mission in the central Mediterranean since December 2022, rescuing a total of 3,001 people.