The NGO SOS Méditerranée and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) denounced on Monday the shooting of the Libyan coast guard during a rescue operation. “Shortly after the evacuation of the 11 survivors on the inflatable lifeboats of the Ocean Viking, a Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat approached at high speed and began firing several shots in the immediate vicinity of the victims. Sunday, in a previous press release, SOS Méditerranée had specified that the crew of the Libyan patrol boat had “fired several times in the air”. Earlier Friday, the Ocean Viking had rescued an initial group of 46 people in the area without incident. To disembark these 57 surviving migrants, the Ocean Viking was designated by the Italian authorities the port of Civitavecchia, three days away.

Source: Libya Today July 12, 2023 11:59 UTC