CAIRO (AP) – Humanitarian groups said Monday that Libyan coast guards fired fire on the ship while searching for a distressed migrant ship in the Mediterranean.
Non-profit SOS Mediterranee said the conflict occurred a day ago about 40 nautical miles north of the Libyan coast, releasing details and images of the incident. No casualties were reported, but the group said the vessel had suffered significant damage.
Sos Mediterranee wraps Norwegian flames Ocean Buffet Partnership between the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Association.
This attack was carried out by European rescue ships. Libyan Coast GuardI’ll receive it training, Device and Funding from the European Union.
A spokesman for the Libyan Coast Guard did not respond to a request for comment. The patrol boat used in the attack was a 2023 gift from Italy to the Libyan Coast Guard as part of aiding the European Union’s border control program, Sos Mediterranee said.
Before it was attacked, the Ocean Viking had rescued 87 people from two immigrant boats from. Sudan was ravaged by the war.
While searching for a third in distress, the Ocean Viking approached the Libyan patrol vessel in international waters, search and rescue coordinator Angelo Selim told the Associated Press. When they were very close, he said, they started filming for 15-20 minutes.
“We didn’t see the noise in the shot at first, but when the first window exploded in our heads, we all got to the floor,” recalls Selim. He added that some of the shots appear to come from automatic weapons.
Selim said he instructed immigrants and non-critical crews to lock them inside the safety room while he and the captain remained on the bridge.
Eventually he said, “The shooting stopped, but the threat continued. Selim recalled that the Libyan coast guard was warning of sea vikings in Arabic on the radio.
In the video and photos of the incident, announced by SOS Mediterranee, two men can be seen pointing weapons on a boat, and several gunshots can be heard. Broken windows and damaged equipment are also visible.
“This incident was not just an outrageous, unacceptable act,” Sos Mediterranee said in a statement Monday. “This is far from isolation. The Libyan coast guard has a long history of reckless actions that show risking people at sea, grossly violating human rights and completely ignoring international maritime law.”
Sos Mediterranee said he issued Mayday after it was fired and asked for protection from nearby Italian naval vessels, but did not receive an answer.
European Union borders and coast guard front-x were often referred to as “deeply concerned” the coordinates of Libyan coast guards and suffering migrants, urging that “appropriate authorities will investigate the events quickly and thoroughly.”
“Frontex is completely committed to saving lives at sea and will always act in line with international maritime law. We cannot put our rescuers at risk while we carry out our life-saving work,” he added.
The Ocean Viking was heading for Italy on Monday, with 87 migrants rescued before the attack. The group had no news of the sea immigration they were looking for when they set up the fire.
A spokesman for the Italian Ministry of Interior declined to comment on the incident, while the Italian Coast Guard did not respond to a request for comment.
“We demand that we be thoroughly investigated the events of yesterday afternoon and the person responsible for these life-threatening attacks be brought to justice,” said Soazic Dupuy, operations director at SOS Mediterranee.
___
Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Rome’s Paolo Santalsia contributed.
___
Follow AP Global Migration Coverage https://apnews.com/hub/migration
