Woman, small child found dead in deflated dinghy off Libya
ABOARD THE OPEN ARMS: Rescuers operating off the coast of Libya discovered the bodies of a small child and woman in a deflated dinghy Tuesday, while a second woman was found alive but suffering from hypothermia and shock, an AFP photographer reported.
The dinghy – which was discovered by rescuers from the Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms – was completely deflated, with the victims lying on the few wooden planks that remained afloat.
Spanish rescue workers went to the scene – around 80 nautical miles northeast of Tripoli – after hearing a radio exchange on Monday night between a cargo ship and a Libyan coastguard vessel about a boat in distress, the charity said.
The cargo ship remained in the area for several hours, until the coastguard assured it was on its way.
The Spanish NGO accuses the Libyans of helping other migrants but leaving the two women and the child for dead.
When questioned by AFP, the Libyan coastguard denied the accusations, saying that the two rescue operations they carried out on Monday concerned other boats.
The Libyan coastguard announced that they had rescued 158 people from a dinghy on Monday 16 nautical miles from Khoms, relatively far from where the deflated raft was discovered.
Migrants abord a second dinghy were rescued by the Libyan coastguard vessel Ras Jedir overnight Monday, 76 nautical miles north of Garabulli – east of the capital Tripoli – very close to the area where the deflated raft was found.
There were 165 migrants aboard the second dinghy – including 34 women and 12 children – who had been drifting for over 60 hours without food or water, the coastguard said, adding that they had recovered the lifeless body of a one-month-old girl.
In a statement, the coastguard emphasised their lack of resources, particularly for surveillance and night rescue in the Mediterranean.
The Libyan coastguard does not usually bring back the bodies of migrants found dead at sea, saying they focus their efforts on rescuing the living.
They also face the refusal of the authorities in Tripoli to take charge of the bodies upon arrival at port, citing a lack of space in morgues or cemeteries.
Spanish rescuers said the boy found dead on Tuesday was around five years old.
The survivor identified herself only as Josepha, saying she was 40 years old and from the West African state of Cameroon. The rescue ship’s medical team said she was in a stable condition but was traumatised, adding that she needed medical and psychological treatment ‘as soon as possible’. — AFP