Activists save close to 300 people from unseaworthy boats in the central Mediterranean
The Geo Barents crew rescues 81 people in the central Mediterranean Sea
[MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea)] 
A COALITION of activist groups saved the lives of 290 people in the central Mediterranean at the weekend.
On Saturday morning, the Geo Barents, a refugee rescue ship operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), located a rubber boat in distress carrying 81 people in international waters off Libya.
The crew was alerted to the boat by the activist-run distress hotline organisation Alarm Phone. The Colibri 2, a reconnaissance plane operated by French charity Pilotes Volontaires, helped the crew find the boat.
More from this author
![Upton Rugby Pitch [Pic: Bob Embleton / Creative Commons]](https://dev.morningstaronline.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/desktop/public/2025-06/Upton_Rugby_Pitch_-_July_2007_Flood_-_geograph.org_.uk_-_505822.jpg.webp?itok=yYpNdUKn)
