Among those on board rescued on Sunday are 34 unaccompanied minors, 4 pregnant women, 8 children and a nine-month-old baby, SOS Méditerranée said. No one was wearing a life jacket.
On Friday, the Ocean Viking also rescued 15 people off the coast of Libya. No one was wearing a life jacket there either, according to the organization. A total of 90 people are now on board the ship.
In May, the Ocean Viking rescued about 300 people in the Mediterranean, including a three-month-old baby and six pregnant women. The ship then had to wait ten days before it was allowed to dock in Sicily.
Every year thousands of people fleeing conflict or poverty try to reach Europe from Libya via the Mediterranean Sea. The coast there is about 300 kilometers from Italy. It is the most dangerous migration route in the world.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 1,553 people will have died while crossing to Europe in 2021. Since 2016, SOS Méditerranée has already picked up about 36,000 people.