Der UNHCR veröffentlicht zur aktuellen Schiffskatastrophe zwischen Libyen und Lampedusa eine Presse-Erklärung, in der auf einen längeren Zeitraum von „mehreren“ Tagen zwischen Abfahrt von hunderten Boat-people in mehreren Booten und Rettung der wenigen Überlebenden hingewiesen wird. Der Abfahrtstag sei ein Samstag gewesen. Die Kritik unterlassener Hilfe richtet der UNHCR gegen die Frontex Operation Triton und gegen die EU:
„[…] Initial reports had suggested some 29 refugees and migrants died on Sunday on one dinghy. More than 110 survivors have landed in Lampedusa, after being rescued by Italian coastguards and a merchant vessel. They confirmed to UNHCR that they had left on Saturday from Libya on rubber dinghies and had been at sea for days, without food and water. Only two out of 107 passengers survived on a dinghy, and 7 out of 109 people on another one. The fourth one was reported to UNHCR by survivors, which is still missing. The youngest of the missing was a 12 year old boy.
UNHCR reiterates its concern about the lack of a strong search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean. Europe’s Triton operation, which is run by the European border protection agency Frontex, is not focused on search and rescue and is not providing the necessary tools to cope with the scale of the crises. Saving lives must be a priority for the European Union. […]“