Rescue Operation Saves Migrants from Mediterranean Oil Platform Stranding

A harrowing multi-day ordeal ends as NGO rescuers assist migrants facing dire conditions on an oil platform.

Thirty-two migrants stranded on a British Gas-managed oil platform in the Mediterranean have been dramatically rescued by the NGO Sea Watch after enduring several days without food or water. The individuals, consisting of "women, men, and children," had been shipwrecked and in critical condition, according to the migrant rescue charity Mediterranea, which reported that one person had unfortunately died during their ordeal.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sea Watch announced that all 32 were successfully extracted from the oil platform and were now being cared for aboard the Aurora ship. However, the fate of the rescued individuals remained uncertain, as nearby countries have yet to designate a port of safety for their disembarkation. Sea Watch criticized the lack of intervention from European nations, citing the urgent emergency faced by those abandoned in international waters adjacent to the Tunisian and Maltese search and rescue zones.

Prior to the rescue, NGO reconnaissance aircraft Seabird detected the stranded group on March 1, following a distress signal communicated to the Alarm Phone, an emergency hotline for migrants. The voice of one of the stranded individuals could be heard in a video circulated on social media, expressing despair over their dire circumstances. Speaking in Tigrinya, he detailed their harrowing journey from Libya five days earlier, recounting how their dinghy capsized.

“Ignoring our urgent cries for help will result in death,” he warned, as fellow migrants shivered against the cold atop the platform, battered by harsh waves. The dire state of migration across the Central Mediterranean continues to escalate, with over 210,000 individuals attempting the treacherous crossing in 2023 alone. Tragically, nearly 2,000 have lost their lives at sea, while over 60,000 have been intercepted and returned to the shores of North Africa.