Life Support | 71 People Disembark in La Spezia

On Sunday 12 April, EMERGENCY's search and rescue ship Life Support completed the disembarkation of 71 people at the Italian port of La Spezia. They had been rescued from an overcrowded rubber dinghy, lacking safety equipment, on Wednesday 8 April in the international waters of the Libyan SAR zone.

The rescued people were spotted in the early afternoon of Wednesday 8 April directly from the bridge of Life Support, which promptly intervened with rescue operations and brought everyone to safety.

"We have just finished disembarking. After more than three days at sea, the people rescued on this mission have finally been able to go ashore," said Gabriele Padovan, Captain on board EMERGENCY's ship. "As Life Support prepares for a new mission in the central Mediterranean, we wish the people who have just disembarked all the best for their future."

Among the 71 people rescued were 12 women and 17 minors, including 11 unaccompanied. They had departed from the Libyan coast; their countries of origin include Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire and Mali - places impacted by the consequences of violence, poverty, the climate crisis and food insecurity.

"Among the survivors who have just disembarked were men, women, unaccompanied minors, children, a pregnant woman and a two-month-old baby," commented Silvana Zaccardi, a doctor on board Life Support. "During the days-long voyage to La Spezia, some of those rescued told us their stories, which were marked by pushbacks, detention, violence, beatings with metal objects and torture suffered whilst in Libya: brutality that has left both psychological and physical scars, such as burns, fractures and amputations. We hope that now they will receive the physical and psychological care they need."

One of the women rescued shared her experience: "I left my country because of the war; I was kidnapped and taken into Nigeria across the savannah. After Nigeria, I arrived in Libya, where I was kidnapped and imprisoned again. My captors beat me all over my body, even breaking my teeth. Now that I have finally arrived in Europe, I wish to respect its rules and live in peace."

Despite the ongoing tragedy of shipwrecks and more than 770 people already dead or missing in the central Mediterranean in the first few months of 2026 (IOM Missing Migrants Project), when confronted with people fleeing war, violence and hunger, Europe continues to target NGOs and people on the move rather than committing to expanding legal and safe routes to the EU and establishing a European-led SAR mission. While Life Support was sailing towards La Spezia, the Italian government green-lit an Immigration Bill to be tabled in Parliament, which proposes reducing protections for people on the move and introducing new obstacles for civilian search and rescue vessels, including a temporary naval blockade.

"These are worrying measures," commented Jonathan Nanì La Terra, Head of Mission on board Life Support. "As always, we will continue to operate in accordance with international law to provide assistance at sea and save lives, without turning a blind eye."

Life Support has concluded its 42nd mission in the central Mediterranean, where it has rescued a total of 3,442 people since operations began in December 2022.