As we have seen, many refugees undergo dangerous journeys to reach a safer place. In 2018, an average of six refugees per day lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea. This is an RTÉ story about one new life that made it safely to shore. Read it and answer the questions that follow.
Baby named ‘Miracle’ born on
Mediterranean rescue ship Sunday, 27 May 2018
A healthy baby boy named Miracle has been born on board a humanitarian ship in the Mediterranean.
Baby Miracle was born in international waters at 3.45pm (local time) yesterday, with his mother rescued just days before by an Italian navy vessel and later transferred to the Aquarius ship.
The Aquarius is a search and rescue vessel run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and SOS Mediterranean.
The birth comes as the tide of migrants risking sea crossings from Libya to Italy
increases as the weather improves. Irish nurse Aoife Ní Mhurchu, of MSF, said, ‘The situation in Libya is extremely dangerous for refugees and migrants, with very little access to medical care.
‘If she had gone into labour just 48 hours beforehand she would have given birth hiding on a beach in Libya, without any medical assistance … She told me their boat actually departed on Wednesday but after a few short minutes the engine failed and they were returned to shore.
