On the weekend of 5 August 2023, a surveillance helicopter from the Luxembourg Air Ambulance was sent out to the coast. This particular Luxembourg aircraft has been active in Lampedusa since the beginning of 2023.
The rescue mission was a part of an operation coordinated by the Mediterranean agency Frontex.
The Luxembourgish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release that during the operation 57 people were saved, but at least 30 are still missing today.
“Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the team, about 40 shipwrecked people were able to be located and then saved by Italian authorities. The morning after, 15 other migrants were located by the helicopter on the cliffs on the west side of the island of Lampedusa, where the boat had run aground the day before. These people were then rescued by an Italian army helicopter, as conditions did not permit a rescue by sea.”, explained Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean Asselborn.
