General view of an oil rig at sea off Tunisia, where more than 30 migrants including two children have been stranded for three days, according to the Sea-Watch charity, in this handout picture released on March 3, 2025. Sea-Watch/Handout via REUTERS
ROME (Reuters) - More than 30 migrants including two children have been stranded for three days on an oil rig off Tunisia and are in dire need of help, the Sea-Watch charity said on Monday.
A reconnaissance plane operated by Sea-Watch spotted the group on the Miskar oil platform on Saturday, with an empty rubber dinghy floating nearby, a statement said.
"We were later able to confirm that the people were seen huddled in blankets on the platform deck, trying to shelter from the wind and waves," it said.
Alarm Phone, a group that operates a help line for sea migrants, said on X that it had spoken to the migrants on Sunday and been informed that one person had died and others were sick.
"They've not eaten for days," Alarm Phone said.
According to Sea-Watch, the migrants had originally fled from Libya. The charity urged European authorities to act quickly to rescue them.
European governments, keen to curb irregular immigration, have signed agreements with Tunisia and Libya that they will intercept and take back sea migrants, despite criticism from human rights groups.
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini; editing by Gavin Jones and Kevin Liffey)
