‘The General Secretariat of the Sea, following the instructions of the Prime Minister, is carrying out a medical evacuation operation’ of the Ocean Viking, announced in a statement the agency led by former Paris police prefect Didier Lallement.

According to the humanitarian organization SOS Méditerranée, responsible for the ship, it is about three migrants and a companion who are ‘in a serious condition and need hospital care’, one of them ‘is unstable and does not respond to the care provided on board since October 27’, the spokeswoman explained.

According to the information provided, the NGO sent its request to the French authorities through the Regional Operational Centers for Surveillance and Rescue, and it was accepted and carried out ‘under the operational direction of the Admiral Maritime Prefect for the Mediterranean’, the General Secretariat of the Sea confirmed.

The Ocean Viking was today off the coast of Corsica on Thursday morning, and although the authorities of the island offered to take in the migrants, like those of the city of Marseille, the French government did not give its authorization, holding the Italian executive responsible for the situation.

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