The children came first. One by one they were handed onto the Ocean Viking search and rescue boat.
Among them, a small, frail and dehydrated crippled boy. His wheelchair was still in the wooden boat, along with some of the adults.
They had spent two days at sea after leaving from Zuwara, a port city in Libya. They had also just made a narrow escape from the Libyan Coast Guard.
The Libyans had intercepted them around 10 nautical miles inside Malta's search-and-rescue zone.
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Already a member? Login hereNikolaj Nielsen, an EUobserver journalist, is embedded on the Ocean Viking for the coming weeks, reporting exclusively from the boat on the Mediterranean migration route.
Nikolaj Nielsen, an EUobserver journalist, is embedded on the Ocean Viking for the coming weeks, reporting exclusively from the boat on the Mediterranean migration route.