Nearly 600 People Rescued From Mediterranean, Unknown Number Reported Missing

Five hundred and eighty-eight people were rescued from the Mediterranean on November 1 by a search and rescue vessel run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and SOS Méditerranée on November 1, MSF said.

An unknown number of people remained missing and were presumed drowned following the operation, MSF added.

In a press release</a>, the organisation said the rescue was carried out by the Aquarius search and rescue vessel.

MSF added, “Our teams launched all available floatation devices, distributed life jackets and pulled people from the water. We were able to revive a man in cardiac arrest who was then medically evacuated by helicopter to Italy. Although no bodies were recovered, we witnessed people submerged under the water.”

A further 700 migrants were pulled to safety by the Italian coastguard in the Mediterranean on Friday, November 3, with 23 bodies recovered, Reuters reported</a>. Credit: Maud Veith/SOS Méditerranée via Storyful