Sophia born in the Mediterranean. Vast day of rescue for European ships
(B2) The weekend of August 22-23 saw another large rescue operation in the Mediterranean which mobilized many European ships off the coast of Libya. More than 20 ships had launched distress calls during the day on Saturday. Nearly 4.400 people were saved in total in a single day. With good news: the birth of a child on board.
One of the biggest rescue days
Exactly 22 rescue operations took place according to the Guardia di Costiera (Italian), in which the ships took part fiorillo, Diciotti 4 patrol boats and an ATR42 Manta aircraft from the Coast Guard, Navy and Guardia di Finanza units. norwegian ships siem pilot and Irish The Niamh — which are taking part in the Triton operation coordinated by the Frontex agency —, the British ship HMS Enterprise and the German ship Schleswig-Holstein (F-216)—which participate in the military anti-trafficking operation, EUNAVFOR Med—also intervened.
The Royal Navy Hydrographic Vessel, HMS Enterprise, Who " was one of the closest to the area according to the Royal Navy, identified four small vessels and cared for 453 people, including 83 women and 24 children. They were then transferred on Sunday to the German frigate Schleswig Holstein - which is taking part in the European operation EUNAVFOR Med - then taken to the Italian port of Taranto on Tuesday during the day.
"Never so many people on board"
The Norwegian ship Siem Pilot, for its part, took care of 963 people, including 71 children, recovered in two wooden boats and an inflatable boat. He transported them to Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia. " We have never had so many people on board before. We had many challenges on Saturday as there were a lot of boats in distress at the same time. We're so glad we had no casualties “Said the commander of the Siem pilot, Lise Dunham.
Sophia, 3 kg, 49 cm... the first baby of the Bundeswehr
Among those rescued, a pregnant woman A. Rahma gave birth, in the early hours of August 24, to a small "Sophia" on the German frigate Schleswig-Holstein in the Mediterranean. The birth took place quickly and smoothly "says the medical team on board, surgeon Marius S. and Obermaat (quartermaster) Charlie M.. The little girl " who weighs 3 kg and measures 49 cm is in good health »
The end of a 5-month ordeal for the mother
The 33-year-old mum from Mogadishu, who was traveling alone, is doing well “but is weakened by a five-month journey ". The child and the mother were then entrusted to an Italian hospital. It is " the first birth on board one of the ships of the Bundeswehr ” specifies, not without pride, the German navy which diffused the images of the baby (look at the video lesson or below). It is also the first time, to our knowledge, that such an event has taken place on board a ship taking part in a European operation.
Nearly 100.000 people rescued in seven months
In the first seven months of the year, around 95 migrants and refugees were rescued in the central Mediterranean, according to the Frontex agency. For its part, the German navy specifies that its ships have come to the rescue, since May 000 of this year (and the start of the Bundeswehr's commitment), 7 people, including 7263 women and 1265 children.
The important thing: “go to the source of the problems”
For Penny Mordaunt, British Minister for the Armed Forces, it is " however clear that the best and only way to tackle the migrant crisis in Europe is to go after the source of the problem. The international community must do all it can to prosecute the criminal gangs and smugglers who trade so carelessly with the lives of others.". And to add the importance of the role of the HMS Enterprise in reconnaissance and electronic imaging " so that we can better understand what is needed for this ever-changing mission ».
(NGV)
