Roundup: MOAS, MSF rescue 369 migrants in Mediterranean waters

Three hundred and sixty-nine migrants were rescued Sunday by the M.Y. Phoenix, a search and rescue vessel run in partnership with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), in their first rescue and medical aid operation in the central Mediterranean between Africa and Europe.

The group began it's operations last Saturday.

Early Monday morning, an additional 104 migrants were also rescued with the assistance of the M.Y. Phoenix team.

The 20-person crew carried out their first rescue less than 24 hours after leaving the Maltese harbor. Those rescued were primarily from Eritrea and included pregnant women and roughly 45 children, some of whom were babies.

"Nothing prepares you for the sight of 369 people crammed into a fishing boat," said Christopher Catrambone, the co-Founder of MOAS along with his wife Regina. "Even after hours of rescue there were so many people left it didn't seem that the boat was emptying, it was just that full."

"The scale of this crisis is just heartbreaking, I wish we could do more," said Will Turner, MSF's emergency coordinator.

Those rescued by the MOAS crews were given an initial triage by the MSF medical team who treated conditions including diabetes, dehydration, skin infections and injuries sustained during beatings and violent attacks.

All the migrants who were saved are currently in stable condition and are being given food, water and other essential items onboard the M.Y. Phoenix.

Last weekend more than 6,000 people were rescued in several operations on the Mediterranean Sea while making the crossing from Libya to Europe. So far this year, an estimated 1,750 people have drowned compared to 96 deaths during the same period last year. Endit