Aid organizations SOS Mediterranée and Sea-Watch accused the Libyan coast guard of having prevented the rescue of dozens of people in distress by firing shots into the air yesterday. SOS Mediterranee said the Libyan Coast Guard threatened the crew of its rescue ship “Ocean Viking” with firearms and then “brutally” intercepted 80 people in distress in international waters.
The civilian emergency network Alarm Phone had already forwarded a distress call from a boat in distress in international waters off Libya to the rescue ship SOS Méditerranée “Ocean Viking”. On the way to the emergency at sea, a Libyan coastguard patrol boat appeared and came “dangerously close” to the rescue vessel.
All attempts to contact the Coast Guard by radio from the “Ocean Viking” bridge remained unanswered, SOS Méditerranée said. The crew of the patrol boat began to behave more and more aggressively, threatening to use firearms and starting shooting into the air.
Faced with threats to the safety of the crew, the Ocean Viking pulled away as the Libyan Coast Guard continued to fire into the air. The non-governmental organization Sea Watch observed the danger at sea from a civilian surveillance aircraft and posted a video on Twitter. So people fell off the plank of the overcrowded inflatable boat.