Crew of Louise Michel, who rescued 89 migrants on Thursday, say European authorities ignoring them. A rescue boat financed by the British street artist Banksy is close to declaring a “state of emergency” after the crew helped 130 migrants and are now safeguarding over 200 people off Libya’s coast, while the European authorities ignore their request for help. The vessel, named Louise Michel after a French feminist anarchist, set off in secrecy on 18 August from the Spanish seaport of Burriana, near Valencia, and is now in the central Mediterranean, where, on Thursday, it rescued 89 people including 14 women and four children. On Friday, the crew of European activists responded to a mayday call by Moonbird, an aircraft that monitors migrants’ boat in danger in the central Mediterranean, which had spotted a dinghy that was not moving and was taking in water. (…) The activists stated that the people had been left alone in a European search and rescue zone and warned: “Don’t let it become a body count. Do your job. Rescue them.” Lea Reisner, head of operations for the Louise Michel, said: “The people have sat in a mix of salt water and fuel for days. It is night and European states are not doing their fucking job. They deny responsibility while we are trying to keep everyone alive … we need immediate assistance.” Neeske Beckmann of the Moonbird said: “We were shocked when we saw the rubber boat – it was incredibly overcrowded and people onboard were trying to shuffle water out of the boat with their bare hands.
via guardian: Banksy-funded boat nears ‘state of emergency’ as it shelters 200 people