116 Migrants Rescued From Offshore Gas Platform in the Med
Last week, the humanitarian rescue NGO SOS Mediterranee saved 116 people from the Miskar gas platform, an offshore facility in the Tunisian search and rescue area.
The survivors - including 39 minors and 13 women - had climbed aboard the lower boarding deck on the platform jacket to escape their boats. They had been at sea for two nights in two small craft, and had gotten hit by a storm, they told rescuers. Some of those who set out did not make it and were lost over the side, they said; the survivors had been stranded on the platform - which is itself inhabited by offshore workers - for four nights. Platform employees did what they could to assist the survivors on deck while they awaited evacuation, the charity said.
"Every party responsible for their safety knew about their situation. However, competent States, such as Malta, did not take action," SOS Mediterranee said in a statement. "Following an urgent request . . . the UN Human Rights Committee issued interim measures yesterday, urging relevant authorities to ensure rescue and safe disembarkation."
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As of March 23, the survivors had disembarked safely at Marina di Carrara, Italy.
Miskar is located in the Gulf of Gabes off the coast of Tunisia, and it was developed by BG Group, now part of Shell, and has proven reserves of 1.5 trillion cubic feet. It is about one-third of the distance from Tunisia to Malta; the platform is not a typical destination for maritime migration.
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