To think it’s ironic all the stops are being pulled to rescue 5 people from a submarine

[MrsMillhouse]

Yet…. The world allows a boat with hundreds including children to sink

You think that the RNLI do nothing?

Mind you, the French authorities seem to be happy to just push them into British waters so that it's someone else's problem.

I go climbing in the peaks sometimes. Presumably there should be no mountain rescue because it serves people right if they have a dangerous hobby of any variety, and I should be left to die of hypothermia if I'm injured? Also, motorbikes. Let's just let them die by the side of the road if they've come off it by going too fast, yes?

You don't know anything about the boats passengers it seems. Hint: not all white, not all from "the global north". So much spite and wokery 🙄

Well aren't You a Treasure OP

Many hundreds (possibly thousands) of migrants are rescued from the Mediterranean each year. Does that somehow not count because they are not all saved?

Totally agree with you, OP, & I'm normally a bit anxious about so many refugees trying to reach out shores.

Although awful, why are these wealthy individuals so much more important?!

This is exactly the post that I was thinking of writing tonight - there's such a stark contrast in the news and the resources spent - just because of an accident of where people are born

Earth is made up of 193 countries which is currently home to 9 billion people.

How would you decide what resources the UK could send out to help in emergency rescue situations in the UK, and abroad ?

And how would you decide which events and people are newsworthy ?

I know what you mean but I suppose if I’m talking without emotion then this rescue mission isn’t tied up in government policy and global politics in the way the migrant crisis is, along with the amounts of people involved being very drastically different.

I wish more was being done for the people coming across on the boats. I think the people smugglers are awful profiteering on human life, I wish our country and others would do more to provide safe and legal passage. I hope the submarine is found and the people on board are found to be safe.

Trying to start a war with Greece??!! Of all the bizarre responses… I’m pretty sure that my post will not start a war with Greece

I don't think the OP is saying the people in the sub shouldn't be rescued but that more should have been done to help the hundreds of people in the boat. They are both horrible situations deserving of attention.

Ships and seafaring is dangerous. There's a reason the first ever insurance policies were on ships. Hopefully this Titanic submarine is heavily insured and all this money being spent on rescuing them can be reimbursed by the insurer. I do not think the ship that sank near Greece was insured. People illegally crossing the Mediterranean have to realise that they are putting their lives on the line in doing so.

This is exactly the post that I was thinking of writing tonight - there's such a stark contrast in the news and the resources spent - just because of an accident of where people are born

Ok, have you looked at a map? The news is about the same. The resources are the US Coast Guard vs, the Greek Coast Guard and not because of accident of birth, but because of accident of which country is closest to the ocean they sank in.

The US Coast Guard has 1 (one) remote vehicle searching the Titan’s last known location.

The Greek coast guard had 6 (six) manned vessels, an air force helicopter, a drone and several privately owned boats from the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, taking part in the search & rescue. In addition, Greek military aircraft used flares to illuminate Mediterranean waters around the wreckage, about 80 km southwest of Pylos.

Of course not. But the media focus and international effort on the boat tragedy compared to the 5 people in a sub is really telling.

This thread is disgusting and beyond callous. I do wonder what people get out of comparing tragedies in this way. It seems to happen constantly these days. “Whataboutism” is rife. Feels very much like a race to the bottom. The lack of genuine empathy in society today is atrocious.

“The world” did not allow a boat with hundreds of children to sink. The Greek coastguard did. The US coastguard are just doing their job, as the Greek coastguard should have done.

5 people get into a submersible and go to view the titanic and this is dangerous so they deserve their fate.

700 people get on a boat designed for 300 in N Africa, the boat tragically sinks and this is the fault of Europeans because - well, because what?

I'm not convinced that it's the fact that they are wealthy that has caught the public's attention. The fact this is linked with the Titanic has a lot to do with it and there have been other events such as children trapped down caves, or miners trapped underground (where time is running out) that have achieved worldwide attention.

i am certainly not callous nor lacking empathy. But I am horrified at the difference in response when it is a boatload Of refugees needing help

Could you answer my other questions then? If the entire world looked away, how did the survivors get the 80km to dry land? And if the world was looking away then why were there six Greek coastguard vessels, a Greek air force helicopter, a Greek drone and several privately owned boats from the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, all doing search and rescue? Why were Greek military aircraft using flares to illuminate Mediterranean so they could rescue at night?

Is that the world looking away? but the US having 1(one) remote vehicle faffing about for a submersible isn’t the world looking away? There’s not even a single human manned craft looking for them.

What’s your logic?

They did their job. You can’t teleport six ships to the middle of international waters 80km off the closest shore. I think it’s disgusting to imply they allowed a ship to sink…like they even have the power to stop boats from sinking.

This comment is spot on.

I find this thread a bit distasteful to be honest.

It's one of the reasons we should treasure the RNLI - heroes the lot of them.

And I think your post is an insult to the RNLI and you owe them an apology. Perhaps a donation to help them carry on their work rescuing people of every race, creed and colour.

I agree with this. I doubt the op knows what they do in extreme conditions.

It's unimaginably horrific and beyond poor taste to start a thread to discuss the politics of rescuing them. I can't imagine what they're going through. At the end of the day we could all be better and do more / volunteer more, it's easy to say what should happen on Mumsnet but in reality totally different. I feel sick just thinking of anyone in such a situation and their poor families, money means sod all when you need your life saving.

Thank you for coming with facts