Dear friends of Sea-Eye,

An overcrowded fibreglass boat, people in severe pain - and stormy weather on top of it all: The rescue ship MARE*GO reported this emergency to us on Whit Monday. Even on the public holiday, our crew doesn't take a break: everything is being prepared for the evacuation of 52 people. Rescue is on the way!

In the afternoon, the SEA-EYE 4 received a distress call from the sea rescue ship MARE*GO from Zusammenland gUG, which had found the unseaworthy boat. Its crew was able to equip the occupants with life jackets and stabilise the boat. As the weather was threatening to deteriorate, they called our rescue ship for help, which arrived at the scene after a journey of around two hours. 

"When we arrived, we found the boat overcrowded and unsuitable for crossing the Mediterranean. There were 52 people on board, most of them from Syria. Our rapid arrival at the scene was crucial, as the weather conditions deteriorated significantly during the night", reports Julie Schweickert, head of mission on board the SEA-EYE 4.

The crew immediately started the evacuation: two people were unable to get on board on their own due to severe pain and had to be lifted out of the lifeboat using a rescue seat. On-board doctor Dr Daniela Klein from German Doctors e.V. states: "Fortunately, the initial suspicion of a head or spinal injury was not confirmed during the examination in the on-board hospital, and their condition improved over time with pain medication. Several other patients complained of painful bruises sustained during the rough crossing in the overcrowded boat. Due to the bad weather and high waves, many of those rescued also suffer from seasickness."

The next piece of news leaves us stunned: despite having vulnerable people on board who now need a safe place, we have been assigned the port of Ravenna, which is an incredible 5 days (!) away. 

That's where our ship is now heading - at full speed! The binoculars remain pointed out to sea: in case any more people get into distress in the stormy waves. Because our promise after the past two months of wrongful detention stands: there is no stopping for us - we will do everything we can to save as many people as possible: #LeaveNoOneToDie!

If you support this resolution, please make a donation now:
https://sea-eye.org/en/donate

Yours

Gorden Isler
- Chairman of Sea-Eye e. V.