Life Support Search and Rescue Updates
29
Missions completed
2,783
People rescued
2022
Start of activities
18 April 2025
82 People Rescued by Life Support
Last night, the Life Support team rescued 82 people from a boat in distress.
The assigned port of disembarkation: Ravenna. Yet another distant port, over 4 days away.
Once again, the practice of assigning distant ports of disembarkation forces us to travel hundreds of unnecessary miles, leaves fewer rescue assets in a sea where people continue to die, and exposes vulnerable rescued people to further physical and psychological risks.
8 April 2025
171 Rescued People Disembark in Naples
Today, the 171 rescued people on Life Support disembarked in Naples.
While on board, many of them shared their stories.
“I was brought to Libya with the promise of a job, but it was a lie: in reality the people who had assured me employment with a regular contract were traffickers,” said one rescued person.
Read their testimony and others in the full press release.
7 April 2025
New Place of Safety: Life Support Headed to Naples
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome has assigned Naples as a new Place of Safety for Life Support, accepting our request for a closer port over drastic worsening of sea conditions.
“The communication came after the transfer of 44 of the survivors to a Coast Guard vehicle, which we carried out off the coast of Syracuse. To reach Naples we will sail two fewer days than our initial destination, Ancona,” reports captain Dominic Pugliese.
The announcement is a relief for the 177 rescued people on board, who are already physically and psychologically exhausted by months- or even years-long journeys through countries of origin and transit. Extra nautical miles, in adverse weather conditions, would only have needlessly increased their suffering.
Life Support will reach the new Place of Safety, Naples, on the morning of 8 April.
6 April 2025
Calls for new port due to adverse weather
Due to seriously worsening weather conditions, we have asked the authorities for a port of refuge or port of disembarkation closer than the assigned Place of Safety of Ancona.
The authorities have so far not granted our request.
Sea conditions forecasted for the next few hours are incredibly difficult, with waves reaching three metres.
Another viable option is to disembark all 215 rescued people in Syracuse, where Life Support is already en route to transfer 44 of the survivors, who have been identified as among the most vulnerable of those rescued, to a Coast Guard vessel.
All people rescued at sea are vulnerable and should be disembarked at a safe port, as soon as possible.
5 April 2025
215 People Rescued in 3 Operations
Today, Life Support rescued 215 people in three separate operations. Among the survivors are 53 women and 92 minors, 83 of whom are unaccompanied.
Their countries of origin include Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Ghana, Mali and Somalia: countries that are devastated by armed conflicts, political instability, poverty and the climate crisis.
Some rescued people told EMERGENCY’s Cultural Mediators that there are others missing: another 14 people were on board the dinghy with them and fell into the water before the arrival of the EMERGENCY rescue vehicles.
The Place of Safety (POS) assigned for disembarkation is Ancona.
20 March 2025
35 Rescued People Disembark in La Spezia
After more than three days of navigation – at times in extremely difficult weather conditions – the 35 people rescued by Life Support have finally reached dry land.
On board were many people with origins in Sudan, a country that has been engulfed in war for almost two years. EMERGENCY is also present in Sudan, providing free healthcare amidst one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
“One young man from Sudan told us that he had left his village to reach Khartoum, where he had begun attending university,” reports Chiara Picciocchi, Cultural Mediator on board. “But then the clashes and violence of the current war became more and more widespread, his father was tortured, and he decided to leave so his life wouldn’t be at risk. From the capital, he walked to Egypt, then continued to Libya, dreaming of Europe.”
17 March 2025
35 People Rescued in Central Mediterranean
At 5:50 this morning, our search and rescue ship Life Support rescued 35 people in distress in international waters, in the Libyan SAR zone. Among the rescued are a woman and six children, five of whom are unaccompanied.
“The rescue was complicated by poor visibility due to the darkness,” explained Jonathan Naní la Terra, SAR Team Leader. “There was a strong odour of fuel, which was leaking from canisters on board. The dinghy was taking on water due to the excessive weight on board and its low stern.”
Their countries of origin include Sudan, South Sudan and Tunisia, all affected by conflict and poverty.
The Italian authorities have assigned us La Spezia as the Place of Safety for disembarkation: this means a 3-day journey which will only add to the suffering of the rescued people, who are already exhausted and vulnerable.
17 December 2024
34 Rescued People Disembark in Ancona
“We arrived in Ancona after five days of navigation. Weather conditions were not always favourable, in particular during the first 48 hours the waves were reaching nearly two metres. The survivors were assisted by our medical staff and now they have safely reached land. We can only wish everyone the best for their future.”
Laura Pinasco, Captain
This morning, the 34 people rescued by Life Support disembarked in the Italian port of Ancona. Their countries of origin include Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan: countries devastated by armed conflicts, political instability, poverty and the effects of the climate crisis.
On board, the survivors shared their stories. “When we paid in Pakistan, they promised us a nice boat, safety equipment and sailing equipment,” one 23-year-old man said. “Instead, when we arrived at the beach we saw that we would make the trip on a small dinghy, without life jackets, with very little food and only five bottles of water for more than 30 people. We didn’t want to get on: it was too dangerous, there were too many of us and the boat was too small, but they forced us to do it. Luckily you found us, I don’t know how long we would have lasted without your help.”
With this disembarkation, Life Support concluded its 28th search and rescue mission in the central Mediterranean, which remains one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.
12 December 2024
34 People Rescued in Central Mediterranean
Yesterday, Life Support rescued 34 people in the central Mediterranean, within the international waters of the Libyan SAR zone. All are now safely on board. Their countries of origin include Sudan and Pakistan.
“Around noon, we completed the rescue of a boat in distress. It was overcrowded and had 34 people on board,” explains Jonathan Naní la Terra, SAR Team Leader on board Life Support. “Our rescue team quickly distributed life jackets to everyone and brought the 34 people safely on board our ship, where we carried out initial medical checks. Earlier, our ship was approached by two small unidentified boats that ordered us to leave the Libyan SAR zone.”
In the early morning before the rescue, two boats – one with its lights on, the other with them off – approached Life Support and warned the ship via radio contact to leave Libyan SAR waters. One of these boats continued to monitor our ship until around 4:30am.
Additionally, at approximately 8:00am, a vessel from the Libyan group “Stability Support Apparatus” was in the same vicinity as Life Support but did not make contact with our crew.
The port of Ancona has been assigned as Place of Safety.
30 November 2024
75 Rescued People Disembark in Vibo Valentia
75 people rescued by EMERGENCY’s search and rescue vessel, Life Support, disembarked in the port of Vibo Valentia early this morning at 1:15am.
“We have completed the disembarkation of the 75 people rescued,” says Domenico Pugliese, captain of Life Support. ”Everything went smoothly and with the support of the local authorities. It was the first time we were assigned Vibo Valentia. Finally, the authorities assigned us a port not far from the operational area. Now we are preparing for a new mission in the central Mediterranean.”
28 November 2024
75 People Rescued in Maltese SAR Zone
EMERGENCY’s search and rescue vessel Life Support successfully completed two rescue operations in the Maltese SAR zone today, rescuing a total of 75 people. The first operation took place late in the morning, involving a drifting boat reported by Alarm Phone. All 38 people on board, including 8 women and 6 unaccompanied minors, were rescued despite having no food or water and being in extremely vulnerable conditions. This operation concluded at 12:45.
The second rescue occurred at around 13:40 when a boat was spotted sailing towards Life Support. In this instance, 37 people, including 6 unaccompanied minors, were safely transferred onto the rescue ship, with the operation ending at 14:35. Fortunately, the sea remained calm throughout.
“The first of the two boats rescued today was tilted on its left side and had 38 people on board, all without life jackets,” says Jonathan Naní la Terra, the SAR Team Leader.
“As we were sailing, we spotted a second boat in distress from the bridge, so we quickly put the RHIBs in the water and approached to intervene and bring to safety 37 people who also did not have life jackets. Now, with 75 rescued people on board, we are heading to Vibo Valentia: this is the first time we have been assigned this port by the authorities.”
The rescued individuals, who departed from Libya, come from countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Palestine, Pakistan, Syria, and Sudan, all facing severe challenges like armed conflicts, political instability, poverty, and the effects of the climate crisis.
“The general medical conditions of the people rescued today are stable, with a few cases of dehydration and symptoms due to seasickness,” adds Elena Mari, an EMERGENCY doctor on board. “Among the people rescued are a diabetic patient, a pregnant woman and a person with thalassemia. In the coming hours, we will continue to monitor all those on board.”
17 November 2024
49 Rescued People Disembark in Ancona
After five days of navigation from the rescue area to Ancona, a port in the northern Adriatic Sea assigned by the authorities, Life Support has disembarked the 49 people rescued last week in the central Mediterranean.
While on board, a Syrian woman, 40, shared her story:
“After graduating as a pharmacist in Syria, I decided to move to Baghdad, because I couldn’t find a job in my country. It was not an easy choice, but my family was relying on me. I lived and worked in Iraq for several years. In August, I finally left.
I tried four times to cross the sea. Three times, we were intercepted in the water and forced to turn back. The fourth time, thanks to you, we succeeded. One of our engines had broken down and the other was malfunctioning. We would have been stuck in the middle of the sea and many of us were ready to die, but when we saw your red ship, we felt reborn. Now, I dream of joining family friends in England.”
This concludes Life Support‘s 26th mission since beginning search and rescue activities in December 2022.
13 November 2024
49 People Rescued in Maltese SAR Zone
Yesterday, Life Support rescued 49 people in distress in the international waters of the Maltese search and rescue zone. They were travelling on an overcrowded boat, without any life-saving equipment. Among them are six women and six unaccompanied children.
Jonathan, SAR Team Leader on board, provides an update:
View this post on Instagram
The rescued people come from Bangladesh, Egypt and Syria. They had left from Zawiya, Libya, in the early morning of 12 November.
Life Support has been assigned port the port of Ancona, Italy, which will require several more days to reach. Currently on its 26th mission in the Mediterranean, the ship has informed the relevant authorities of its availability for further rescue activities.
4 November 2024
72 Rescued People Disembark in Livorno
After more than three days of navigation, the 72 people rescued by Life Support have disembarked at the port of Livorno, the Place of Safety assigned by the Italian authorities.
“During this long voyage, we had the chance to get to know the rescued people,” says Chiara Picciocchi, Cultural Mediator on board. “For example, a Syrian-Palestinian boy had left Syria to move to Lebanon and then, when the conflict with Israel began, he was forced to return to his country, where his family lived in extreme poverty and he faced compulsory military service. So he made the difficult decision to leave and try to reach Europe via Libya. His goal is simply to have a better life, to be able to help his family and to see his rights respected.”
We wish all the best to the 72 rescued people who were finally able to go ashore today. Now, Life Support is preparing once again to return to the Mediterranean, and to save lives at sea.
31 October 2024
Life Support Rescues a Second Boat in Distress
Following the rescue of 38 people earlier today, Life Support received a report of a second boat in distress in international waters. The Italian MRCC authorised the ship to delay its arrival at the assigned port, Livorno, to assist the distress case.
Life Support rescued 34 people, including six unaccompanied children. Their countries of origin include Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan and Syria.
In total, 72 people have been rescued today. Now, the ship is on its way to Livorno to disembark the survivors.
31 October 2024
Life Support Rescues 38 People
“The engines were broken, the boat was taking on water and listing.”
Today, Life Support rescued 38 people, including 14 women and six children, of whom two are unaccompanied.
The rescue took place in the international waters of the Maltese SAR zone, after reports of a distress case by Alarm Phone and mayday relay on VHF channel 16. The rescued people, who originally come from Niger, Nigeria, Palestine and Syria, left Misrata, Libya at 2:00 on 30 October.
“The 38 people adrift on the fibreglass boat were exhausted from so many hours at sea, but fortunately the weather was calm,” reported Jonathan Naní la Terra, SAR Team Leader. “Our team of rescuers first secured everyone by distributing life jackets, and then brought the survivors on board Life Support. Now, our medical team is examining everyone to ascertain their health condition.”
When the rescue was completed, we informed the relevant authorities, who assigned Livorno as the Place of Safety. The Italian MRCC authorised a delay in arrival, as Life Support has received a new report of a boat in distress.
31 August 2024
170 Rescued People Disembark in Ravenna
170 people rescued by EMERGENCY’s search and rescue vessel Life Support disembarked in Ravenna, Italy today. The disembarkation process ended at 2 p.m.
“After more than four days at sea, we arrived in Ravenna for the disembarkation of the rescued people, an operation that took place smoothly and in cooperation with the local authorities,” says Laura Pinasco, commander of EMERGENCY’s Life Support. “We wish these people who were finally able to go ashore today all the best, while we prepare for the next missions.
27 August 2024
Life Support Rescues Further 101 People
Overnight, Life Support rescued a further 101 people from boats in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, during two separate operations.
Yesterday, 158 people were rescued in three operations. Two were soon evacuated for medical reasons. After the additional rescues overnight – bringing the total number of people rescued during this mission to 259 – 88 people were transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and disembarked on the island of Lampedusa.
“The medical condition of the people on board is stable,” explains Roberto Maccaroni, EMERGENCY medic on board Life Support. “Yesterday, however, we had to evacuate two people who were seriously unstable for medical reasons due to a very low level of oxygenation. This morning, we evacuated 88 people who were transferred onto the Coast Guard vessel: they were children, women, the elderly, and patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, so that they could be taken care of by the medical staff ashore.”
After the additional rescues, Life Support was assigned a new Place of Safety – Ravenna – even further north than the original. It will take more than four days of navigation for the 169 remaining survivors on board to reach the POS for disembarkation.
In the meantime, Life Support is delayed from returning to the Mediterranean, where search and rescue ships are urgently needed.
26 August 2024
Life Support Rescues 158 People in Central Mediterranean
During the course of last night and this morning, Life Support rescued 158 people in the central Mediterranean. 156 of them are safe on Life Support, while two others were evacuated for medical reasons by a Coast Guard helicopter.
They had been poisoned by fuel inhalation, so we had to request the MedEvac.
We carried out three rescue operations in total. During the third, our SAR Team Leader Jonathan tells us that “the boat in distress was being followed by an unidentified Libyan vessel. As soon as the rescue team approached the boat, the vessel moved away and did not interfere with the rescue operation.”
We are now sailing towards Ancona, the assigned Place of Safety. We have four days of sailing ahead of us.
13 August 2024
64 Survivors Disembark in Ortona
This morning, 64 people rescued by Life Support during two rescue operations in the central Mediterranean disembarked in the port of Ortona after more than three days of navigation.
Earlier, an unaccompanied child was medically evacuated at Roccella Ionica, in southern Calabria.
“I was afraid for my safety and of being disappeared like so many others in Syria, so I decided to leave to try to reach Europe,” a Syrian boy on board told us. “The journey lasted more than two years and only now did I manage to leave Libya, where from the beginning my experience was marked by violence and exploitation, at the mercy of traffickers, militiamen, police. I tried to make the journey nine times and eight times I was arrested, or our boat broke down shortly after departure and we had to swim back. During these two years and counting, with my companions in misfortune we were beaten, tortured, sold like merchandise from one militia group to another.”
Today also marks the anniversary of the passing of Dr Gino Strada, EMERGENCY’s founder. Life Support was his last great project, and his inspiring words mark the side: “Human rights must be for all humans, every single one. If not, we should call them privileges.”
11 August 2024
Life Support En Route to Ortona With 65 Survivors On Board
Life Support conducted a second rescue operation on 9 August of 28 people, including 9 children – 6 of whom were unaccompanied.
This brings the total number of people rescued during Mission 23 to 65 people. Life Support is now en route to Ortona, the assigned Place of Safety.
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9 August 2024
37 People Rescued in Maltese SAR Region
During the night between Thursday 8 and Friday 9 August, EMERGENCY’s search and rescue vessel Life Support rescued 37 people who were on board a boat in distress in international waters in the Maltese SAR zone.
“The case of the boat in distress was reported to us by Alarm Phone by e-mail,” explains Jonathan Naní la Terra, SAR Team Leader on board Life Support. “So we immediately set out to look for it until we found it: the small fibreglass boat, about 9 metres long, had engines that didn’t work, the 37 people on board were without life jackets, had no water and were exhausted. Fortunately, the weather conditions were favourable and also thanks to the promptness of our rescue team, the intervention took place quickly and we got everyone safely on board Life Support”.
The people rescued come from Egypt, Eritrea, Syria and Bangladesh, countries affected by war, violence, and political and economic insecurity.
Ocean navigator Ambrogio Beccaria, who is on board Life Support as a rescuer for this mission, recounts: “I have only been on board for three days and about 24 hours after leaving Syracuse we carried out the first rescue operation. I understood why we trained so hard, because we got the 37 people on board in a very short time and in total safety.”
“In the last regatta I took part in, there were three shipwrecked people and it already seemed like a lot to me, but they were Europeans and after an experience like this you realise how much of a privilege a passport can be. Here, there are an unknown number of people risking their lives at sea. There are 37 people on board, but we know there are other boats that need help.”
After completing the rescue and informing the relevant authorities, the Italian MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) assigned Ortona as the Place of Safety and port of disembarkation.
Now, Life Support is on its way to another reported case of a vessel in distress.
29 July 2024
41 People Rescued in Libyan SAR Region
Early this morning, Life Support rescued 41 people, including three unaccompanied children, from an overcrowded boat in distress.
#LifeSupportSAR rescued 41 people, including 3 unaccompanied children, in the #Mediterranean. “During the operations, an unidentified boat without lights approached the area of intervention, but did not interfere,” says Ani, Head of Mission. #civilfleethttps://t.co/8nWnyVqhLP
— EMERGENCY NGO (@emergency_ngo) July 29, 2024
During the rescue operations, an unidentified boat without lights approached the area of intervention, but did not interfere. Two people on board the boat in distress refused to be rescued, and after the rescue operations were completed, left together on the second boat.
Life Support is now proceeding to Naples, the assigned port of disembarkation. It will take more than two more days of navigation to reach the port.
13 July 2024
178 People Disembark in Civitavecchia, Italy
On Saturday 13 July, 178 people rescued by Life Support during three rescue operations that took place the previous Wednesday disembarked at the port of Civitavecchia in Italy.
The survivors come from Bangladesh, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, Palestine, Morocco, Eritrea and Iraq: countries affected by war, poverty, economic and political instability, and natural disasters.
During one of the rescues in the Maltese SAR zone, a Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat approached.
“In the last days, other NGOs have witnessed diffferent actions taken by the Libyan coastguard such as interceptions and pullbacks of people, and also interefering with hostility when rescue ships were perfoming rescue operations,” says Anabel Montes Mier, Head of Mission on board. “We would like to highlight that Libya is not a place of safety, and no rescue operation can end there. This would mean a refoulement, which would breach international laws.”
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10 July 2024
178 People On Board Life Support After Three Rescue Operations
Between 5a.m. and midnight, the Life Support team conducted three rescue operations involving four boats in distress. The ship is now proceeding to its assigned port of disembarkation, Civitavecchia, with 178 survivors on board.
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This page shows updates from Life Support‘s latest missions. For updates from Life Support‘s previous missions, please see the archived update pages for missions 1-10 and missions 11-20.