‘Indifference at Sea’: Italy and Tunisia accused over missing migrants

The NGO SOS Humanity has accused both the Tunisian and Italian Coast Guards of failing to do enough to rescue four missing migrants during a rescue operation on July 11.

Together with 31 other organizations, SOS Humanity has renewed its criticism of Italy for what it calls systematic obstruction of NGO search and rescue efforts.

The German-based maritime rescue organization released audio recordings that allegedly show both the Tunisian and Italian Coast Guards were indifferent to the fate of the four missing migrants in the central Mediterranean. The organization accuses them of engaging in illegal pushbacks and failing to provide assistance.

According to SOS Humanity, shortly after rescuing 26 people stranded in Libyan waters on July 11, the Sparrow II surveillance plane operated by Frontex (the EU’s border and coast guard agency) informed their vessel, Humanity 1, of another boat carrying between 70 to 100 people in distress.

Paul Wagner, spokesperson for SOS Humanity, confirmed that another surveillance plane operated by the German NGO Sea-Watch had also received a distress alert concerning the drifting migrant vessel.

While en route to the scene — under the coordination of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rome — SOS Humanity said they overheard radio communications between the Tunisian and Italian Coast Guards.

In these communications, the Tunisian Coast Guard claimed to have rescued 33 people and the Italian Coast Guard 27, but both acknowledged that four individuals remained missing.

According to SOS Humanity, the Italian MRCC later informed the Humanity 1 crew that the rescue of this boat had already been carried out by another party. They were then instructed to head toward Brindisi, Italy, without being given any further information or explanation about the four missing people.