CONNECTIONS November 2016 Thanksgiving Issue 19

CONNECTIONS ISSUE 19
Myconnectionsmagazine.com
million thus far this year. MSF has
rescued more than 10,000 people so
far. By mid-2015, the mortality rate in
the Mediterranean was one in 76. A
small victory, but a victory
nonetheless.
An estimated 15 to 20 boats carrying
around 3,000 people set sail from
Libya's beaches every day. After a few
hours, they call a contact person in
Italy or they get in touch with the
Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre
(MRCC) in Rome directly. That's if a
navy vessel or a cargo ship doesn't
stumble across them first. Whoever is
close by is obligated to come to the
rescue. But what if no one is nearby to
save them?
Such was the case on Wednesday last
week when a fishing boat sank off the
coast of Libya with 600, maybe 700
people on board. They were moments
away from being rescued by an Irish
naval ship when the refugees all
pushed to one side of the boat. As they
tried to get closer to their saviors, the
boat capsized. Only 373 people
survived. Everyone who had been
below deck when the boat sank was
dragged to the depths of the sea. The
three MSF boats were there too, but
not to save lives. They were there to
recover bodies.
darkened cabin, three employees of
the Austrian firm Schiebel are sitting in
front of their monitors steering a
drone. It offers the first sign of the
boat.
A bright fleck in a sea of blue.
It looks stable. Judging by its size, it's
bigger than a dinghy, and it sits low in
the water. The fleck is also moving.
That's a good sign. It means the boat is
still operable. But it is moving slowly
and going in curves rather than a
straight line. Maybe it is already taking
on water, or maybe the man at the
helm has lost his bearings.
Those on board the boat will later
explain that they left at 3 a.m. Anyone
who complained about the tight
quarters was summarily beaten by the
smugglers. Some had their money and
jewelery confiscated as they
embarked. Some paid only $500 for
the journey, others $2,000. It didn't
take long for the helmsman to
abscond. Before he left, he told the
others to head toward a light in the
distance. So they did, without realizing
that it was a flame from the Bouri oil
platform that shone over the sea like a
lighthouse. They thought the light was
But now, the Phoenix is on its next
mission. It's 11:30 a.m. and in a
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