Thread by @seawatch_intl

The boat in distress at sea was known to the authorities and ended deadly. While the Italian government obstructs civil sea rescue, and its own Coast Guard is visibly overwhelmed, distress calls go unanswered. #Italy watched 30 people drown!
A thread

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Saturday morning, 10.32 am: 9 hours after @alarm_phone reported the first distress call, our Airborne crew sights the boat with 47 people on board. 2 minutes later, #Seabird2 sends a Mayday Relay to all stations. The coordinates are given. A rescue is urgent.

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@alarm_phone Immediately two emails are sent to the Italian rescue coordination center in #Rome. As the boat is in the Libyan search and rescue zone, #Italy wants nothing to do with the rescue and refers to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.

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@alarm_phone We call the rescue coordination center in Libya. The port authority in Benghazi cannot be reached, and it turns out that so far, neither #Italy nor #Libya is organizing the urgently needed rescue of the 47 people. Italy does not react to this information.

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@alarm_phone At the same time, via radio, #Seabird2 reaches the merchant ship Basilis L in the vicinity of the boat in distress. It has already received instructions from #Italy to listen only to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. We do not learn whether a rescue will be initiated.

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@alarm_phone At 4.51 pm, we reach someone in #Libya again. We get confirmation: The patrol boats in Benghazi are not equipped for the weather conditions. Libya cannot rescue, will not rescue, and is not coordinating a rescue by the Basilis L merchant ship.

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@alarm_phone At 5.02 pm, we call #Rome again and ask who is now taking responsibility for the rescue. We do not get an answer; the Italian rescue coordination center hangs up. At this point, 47 people are in immediate danger of drowning.

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@alarm_phone No rescue is initiated overnight. In the early morning of March 12, the boat of which all the relevant authorities were aware capsizes while the merchant ship FROLAND rescues 17 people. 30 people remain missing. #Italy, #Europe - these deaths are on you.

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