LÉ Róisín crew returns after rescuing 1,263 refugees

People-smugglers are overloading refugees in inflatable dinghies that are so poorly manufactured they’ve no hope of making their destination.

Many of the refugees picked up by the crew of LÉ Róisín in the Mediterranean Sea were very malnourished and dehydrated. Some had travelled thousands of miles and spent their life savings to get on board craft that were deathtraps.

Stories of some of the harrowing scenes that were witnessed by the 57-strong crew of LÉ Róisín began to emerge yesterday as the ship returned to Naval Service headquarters in Haulbowline, Cork, after a 12-week humanitarian deployment.