{"id":44803,"date":"2016-07-13T09:02:27","date_gmt":"2016-07-13T09:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/just2093.temp.domains\/~tqmoaseu\/its-tragic-but-we-know-it-could-have-been-so-much-worse\/"},"modified":"2022-07-09T17:12:05","modified_gmt":"2022-07-09T17:12:05","slug":"its-tragic-but-we-know-it-could-have-been-so-much-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moas.eu\/de\/its-tragic-but-we-know-it-could-have-been-so-much-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s tragic, but we know it could have been so much worse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The scene that unfolded for our crew on the Responder in the early hours of 12th<\/sup> July was one of<\/strong> the worst possible scenarios for any search-and-rescue crew that operates on the frontlines of the Mediterranean crisis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\u00a9<\/a>
At 04:30 the MOAS Responder spotted this over-crowded wooden boat at 17nm off the coast of Libya<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was 03:50am when the Responder\u2019s radar pinged, marking the first contact. \u00a0Proceeding towards the echo in complete darkness, by 04:30am our crew was in sight of the boat, and instantly realised that it was heavily over-crowded, with far too many people on board for it to be safe. At 05:00am the fast rescue launch was lowered into the water and the recovery operation began. Half of the rescue was carried out in pitch black.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9<\/a>
Nick & John, MOAS crew members, transfer a child onto our fast-rescue boat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was then that our crew realised the situation was far more tragic than expected. 4 bodies were recovered lifeless from three separate holds of the vessel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are packed so tightly in the hold\u201d, says MOAS photographer Mathieu, “they wouldn’t realise if someone was simply sleeping on their friend’s shoulder or unconscious.”<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9<\/a>
Survivors come to terms with the tragic events of the morning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just next to the dead bodies, a few other people were found in critical condition: for them at least, we had arrived just in time. The Emergency team aboard the Responder acted quickly to stabilise them, after which one person was med evacuated by the Italian Navy.<\/p>\n

Overall, 352 people were safely recovered, but the trauma of the morning\u2019s events lingers still. According to survivors the boat left from Sabrath. Our crew carried out the rescue at 17 nautical miles off the Libyan coast.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Erano ragazzi che volevano solo realizzare i loro sogni.Come tutti noi.Grande tristezza.Il mio pensiero ai loro cari https:\/\/t.co\/NnlTkic2q6<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MOAS Rep.Catrambone (@MOAS Rep.Catrambon) 12 July 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n