Rescue organisations found at least fourteen bodies in the Mediterranean last weekend as European governments wage a ‘hard border’ war on desperate refugees. Search and rescue organisation SOS Méditerranée discovered 11 bodies in international waters of the Med on Friday 14 August 2026. The group also reported at least two “violent interceptions” of refugee boats.
The following day, a Sea-Watch monitoring aircraft Seabird 1 and the rescue organisation RESQSHIP spotted three more bodies floating in the water.
Hunted alive, forgotten when dead
After reaching the bodies, the rescue vessels Sea-Watch 5 and Nadir found that the extent of decomposition and the limited recovery capacities of the civilian vessels meant that the bodies could not be recovered. According to Sea-Watch, European authorities have not yet attempted any recovery operation.
Sea-Watch spokesperson Giulia Messmer said:
These are the people behind [EU policy] ‘fewer arrivals’- hunted while alive, forgotten once dead. Behind each of these bodies is a person with a life of their own and loved ones who may never know what happened. The responsibility lies with European politicians who prioritize border violence over human lives.
Horrific toll in the Med
The organisation says that since the beginning of the year more than 1,600 people have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean. These victims are a horrific reminder of the inevitable consequences of policies, pushed by governments either run by, or pandering to, racists. These policies flout international law by denying people safe routes while restricting, obstructing or failing to provide necessary maritime rescue operations.
Sea-Watch is calling for safe passages and a comprehensive, state-run search and rescue operation to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean. The organisation has been repeatedly fired upon by Libyan vessels since the EU began paying Libya to intercept and block refugee boats. Libya is accused of torturing and even murdering abducted refugees.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
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