'Thank you Jesus' Europe-bound migrants burst into song after dramatic rescue
THIS is the moment a group of African women burst into song after being rescued from the middle of the Mediterranean.
Europe-bound migrants burst into song after dramatic rescue
Crying out to the skies and repeating sobs of “thank you Jesus”, the women cheered as their 3,000 mile journey ended in the arms of charity workers.
They had spent 10 hours at sea drifting just miles from the coast of Tripoli, Libya.
Before that, weeks in vehicles and on foot through the Libyan desert from Nigeria and Ghana were spent at the hands of people smugglers who had profited from their misery.
These women burst into song after being rescued
Floating helplessly in a makeshift raft in the same crossing which has claimed more than 1,700 lives this year, the group was rescued by Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms.
Along with the young women were mothers and children, and one woman who is around nine months pregnant.
Proactiva saved 389 in just six hours on Saturday, including 91 women and children.
The group was rescued by Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms
The group was taken to another vessel run by Proactiva - the Golfo Azzurro – before being taken to Italy to be transferred to refugee camps.
Their fate will then be in the hands of the European Union (EU)
Most of the women coming through the Libyan desert to the launch point have been victims of rape and sexual abuse.
The women were taken to Italy to be transferred to refugee camps
The European Union is attempting to curb migration by sending boats back to Libya.
The EU has been accused of sending them "to death" since unrest in the country has seen the rise of militia groups, the Islamic State and widespread human rights abuses.