"The recently launched Responder, which is patrolling the Mediterranean, has made its first rescue today. Staff from MOAS and the Italian Red Cross rescued 327 people from four boats, including 19 children and 104 women," the statement reads.
The Responder rescue ship was launched on Tuesday to patrol the central Mediterranean route from Africa to Italy, accounting for most deaths of migrants trying to reach Europe by sea. The Italian Red Cross (CRI), the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) will partner for the mission.
The European Union is currently struggling to manage an enormous refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The majority of them try to reach relatively stable EU states by sea. More than 3,770 deaths of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea were recorded in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
SPUTNIK/MNA