Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sea rescuers report suicide attempts
ROME — A sea rescue charity said Friday that its ship carrying rescued migrants declared a state of emergency in the Mediterranean Sea after six migrants tried to kill themselves and the distress of others that no country would let them on land put the safety of the crew and other migrants at risk.
SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Ocean Viking, said some of the 180 migrants aboard have started physically fighting among themselves or been threatening fellow migrants and crew members.
The charity said it lodged seven requests for permission to enter a safe harbor, but Italy and Malta said no. There was no immediate response from either country about its alleged refusal.
The migrants were rescued from the unseaworthy boats of people smugglers in the central Mediterranean during four operations between June 25 and Tuesday. SOS Mediterranee said the first operation took place in international waters where Italy and Malta have overlapping rescue jurisdiction, while the others occurred in Malta’s search-and-rescue area.
The people rescued include a pregnant woman and 25 minors, 17 of them traveling without relatives or guardians, the charity said.
SOS Mediterranee said two migrants jumped overboard in what it said appeared to be suicide attempts and were rescued from the sea again, while three others were stopped before they could plunge off the ship. It reported that another passenger tried to kill himself on board.