Translation of the press release issued by Sea Eye

In the first of two operations on the night of Thursday to Friday, rescue arrived too late for two people. The crew of SEA-EYE 4 were only able to recover the bodies of one of the children's mothers, who is now being treated on board the rescue vessel with the surviving father.

Regensburg, Rome

It was a dramatic hour in the central Mediterranean: during the night from Thursday to Friday, the crew of the SEA-EYE 4 rescued a total of 109 people in distress at sea, including many children. During the first operation, 32 people were rescued. However, the rescue was overshadowed by two deaths that occurred prior to the arrival of SEA-EYE 4. One of the deceased had made the dangerous crossing with her child and husband. Immediately afterwards, the rescue vessel left for a second distress call. A further 77 people were rescued during the night, including a pregnant woman. SEA-EYE 4 is now on its way to Pesaro with a total of 109 survivors on board. The designated port in Italy is about five days away. The Italian authorities have not responded to a request for a port closer to Pesaro, which was made by midday on Friday.

Six days ago, the people in the first rescue were travelling in an unseaworthy metal boat. The emergency was spotted and reported by Sea-Watch's civilian search and rescue aircraft Seabird late on Thursday afternoon. As the only rescue vessel in the area at the time, SEA-EYE 4 set off immediately. The journey took a total of six hours. By the time the rescuers reached the scene, two of the 34 people on board were already dead. The Sea Eye crew were only able to recover their bodies. Many of the survivors had to be treated in the ship's hospital. The medical team is still in a difficult situation, treating several injured people. One person was in such a serious condition that he was evacuated by the Maltese authorities in a rescue helicopter on Friday morning.

Over the past six years, in more than two dozen missions, we have always arrived in time to prevent loss of life. But this time we arrived too late for two people. They were left at the mercy of the brutal European border regime for six days. This is unforgivable. A mother lost her life before we could even reach the boat. A child was orphaned. A man lost his wife. We are deeply saddened. Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased. We are now bringing the survivors to safety,' said Gorden Isler, President of Sea-Eye.

The news that our help did not arrive in time for two people makes us deeply sad and angry. It is inhuman and shameful that EU member states have stood by and watched people die in the Mediterranean for years. Our thoughts are with the relatives of the deceasedǝ, the rescuedǝ and the crew of the SEA-EYE 4. We hope to stabilise the condition of the survivorsǝ and get them to a safe port soon,' says Dr Harald Kischlat, President of German Doctors, the NGO that regularly provides volunteer doctors on board the SEA-EYE 4 missions, including this one.