Guillaume Dominguez and AFP 1:36 p.m., April 28, 2022

The SOS Méditerranée association carried out two new rescues on Wednesday of people trying to reach Europe, bringing to nearly 300 the number of migrants rescued on board since Sunday, according to the NGO.

On Europe 1, its president describes the hell gone through by these migrants, and regrets the lack of cooperation from the authorities.

The Mediterranean Sea is still one of the greatest cemeteries in the world.

The SOS Méditerranée association is sounding the alarm.

Nearly 300 migrants have been rescued at sea in less than a week.

They are fleeing war zones or countries ravaged by poverty.

On Wednesday April 27, 131 Libyans were rescued off the Libyan coast as they attempted to reach Europe.

And with the improvement in weather conditions, more and more of them want to try their luck. 

“One person was so exhausted that he lost consciousness”

On Europe 1, François Thomas, president of the SOS Méditerranée association, describes the hell through which these migrants go.

"Many people were on an inflatable boat in difficult weather conditions as there were three-meter dips in the dark night." 

The president describes women, children and men without any life jackets and in difficult conditions.

François Thomas paints the portrait of people who are exhausted and affected by seasickness. "There is a person who was so exhausted that she lost consciousness", adds François Thomas. 

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The association also faces the lack of cooperation from the authorities: "We have asked the maritime authorities four times for a safe place to disembark and we are still waiting for someone to indicate this place to us. There are people injured and it is very important that they are taken care of as quickly as possible on land", he concludes.

One-year-old baby rescued 

On Sunday and Monday, the humanitarian ship had already carried out two rescues, rescuing 70 and 94 migrants respectively, bringing to 295 the number of survivors cared for on board the Ocean Viking, including 132 unaccompanied minors.

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"The youngest of the survivors is a baby of only one year," said the NGO.

The central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The UN agency estimates that at least 24,000 people have died or disappeared there since 2014, including 2,048 last year.