Ocean Viking, an emergency ship chartered by SOS Méditerranée, on Saturday afternoon rescued 92 migrants who were in danger aboard an “overloaded and deflated” inflatable boat off the coast of Libya, the humanitarian NGO based in Marseille, southern France, said. AFP.

Among the evacuees are “nine women and approximately 40 unaccompanied minors,” the NGO added on Twitter, posting photos of the rescue operation.

The survivors, most of them “exhausted, some suffering from petrol burns and injuries”, received help from SOS Méditerranée and the Red Cross team.

Some, too weak, had to be carried on stretchers and warmed with blankets.

In the evening, the NGO reported that the Italian authorities recognized the port of Salerno (west) “as a safe place for disembarkation”. It is located 450 nautical miles (approximately 833 kilometers) from where Ocean Viking was at the time.

“As the weather forecast worsens, we fear that prolonged navigation will affect the fragile condition of the survivors,” the NGO said in a statement.

In early January, several international non-governmental organizations involved in migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean condemned the desire of Italy’s far-right government to “impede the provision of aid to people in dire straits.”

The organizations pointed to the cross-cutting effects of the decree, which requires ships to proceed “without delay” to an Italian port after each rescue, as well as the common designation of very remote ports, which reduces the ability to provide aid.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the Central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world. According to the estimates of the UN agency, in 2022, 1,417 migrants disappeared there.