The German-flagged Louise Michel had set out Thursday to assist more than 80 people marooned on a rubber dinghy. The 101-foot Louise Michel, with 10 crew members, quickly became overcrowded and could not properly steer, the Twitter posts said. Last year, over 100,000 people tried to cross and at least 1,283 people died, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The Louise Michel is painted pink and white and features original Banksy artwork: a mural of a young girl wearing a life vest and holding a heart-shaped safety buoy. The former French patrol boat is named after a French feminist anarchist and comparatively faster than other rescue vessels, according to the Guardian.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 29, 2020 15:33 UTC