A humanitarian rescue mission was carried out by the Mare Jonio ship in the Mediterranean Sea, saving 182 migrants from dangerous conditions between August 24 and 25, 2024. This mission was organized by Mediterranean Saving Humans, an Italian organization, and the Italian Bishops’ Migrantes foundation. Although this was the eighteenth rescue operation by Mediterranean Saving Humans, it was the first one done together with the Italian Bishops’ foundation.
The rescue started on Saturday evening when the Mare Jonio spotted a wooden boat in international waters, about 35 miles off the coast of Tunisia. The boat appeared very unstable, so the Mare Jonio team immediately contacted the Italian coastguard and gave life jackets to the passengers on the boat. The Italian coastguard arrived soon after and safely transported all 67 people, who were from North Africa, to the island of Lampedusa.
Later that night, the Mare Jonio was informed of another boat in trouble nearby. They quickly moved towards the boat’s last known location and found it around 11:20 PM. The boat was overcrowded and made of inflatable rubber. The Mare Jonio team rescued 50 people, mostly from Ethiopia, including 43 children and two women. The rescued people were later handed over to the Italian coastguard.
The next morning, around 6:30 AM, the Mare Jonio continued its search for more boats and found a third one. They rescued 26 people from Syria, 30 from Bangladesh, and 6 from Pakistan. The Italian government instructed the ship to take these migrants to the port of Pozzallo in Sicily.
When the rescued migrants boarded the Mare Jonio, there were many emotional moments. They thanked the volunteers and called them “angels sent by God.” Many of the migrants had suffered greatly, including being imprisoned and mistreated in Libya. Some of them had unique stories, like a former judge and an Arabic teacher who wanted to discuss literature. Despite the relief of being rescued, the migrants now face the tough challenge of starting new lives in Europe, where they might encounter new difficulties.
This joint rescue mission shows the important work being done to help migrants in the Mediterranean. However, the real work begins now, on land, where building supportive communities and helping migrants adjust to new lives is crucial. As Pope Francis has emphasized, creating a society based on kindness and friendship is the ultimate goal.