Life Support | 41 Rescued People Disembark in Naples

At 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, 1 August, the 41 rescued people on board EMERGENCY’s ship Life Support completed disembarkation procedures at the port of Naples. They had been rescued in the early hours of 29 July, in the international waters of the Libyan SAR region.

The 41 shipwrecked men and boys, including three unaccompanied children, were travelling on board a small fibreglass boat.

“After three long days of sailing, we have arrived in Naples, the port assigned to Life Support for the disembarkation of the people rescued in the operation on Monday 29 July,” explains Miriam Bouteraa, Cultural Mediator on board. “During these 72 hours, the rescued people shared their stories with us. An Egyptian man told us that he had fled his country, where left behind his elderly parents, because of both the state of political repression and the precarious economic conditions in which he lived with his wife and their three small children. He hopes to be able to find a decent job in Italy and reunite his family here in Europe, so that they can access basic services like public healthcare. In Egypt, he told us, there is no minimum access to healthcare. Above all, he shared that he crossed the Mediterranean, risking everything, because he had no other alternative. He has now disembarked with the 40 other rescued people, and we wish them all the best of luck.”

The 41 rescued people, who were finally able to land in a safe place today, come from Syria, Egypt and Bangladesh, countries affected by war, violence, poverty, and economic and political insecurity.

“I come from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and left about two months ago to reach Libya and try to cross the Mediterranean,” says a 25-year-old man on board. “Life in my country is very difficult, the only chance I had to help my family was to leave and look for a better life in Europe. In Dhaka, you cannot find work and the wages are so low that you can barely buy food. There is a lot of inequality in the country. Those who have the means to leave do so, and those who don’t take to the streets in protest. In both cases, we risk our lives for a better future, to give our families a chance,” he continued. “I hope I can get my family to Europe, because I know it is a place where workers’ rights are respected and where you don’t risk your life when protesting against the government.”

EMERGENCY’s search and rescue ship, which has been operating in the central Mediterranean since December 2022, has completed its 22nd mission. Life Support has rescued 1,897 people and is preparing to depart for the Mediterranean once again.