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Marc Gasol Helped Rescue Shipwrecked Woman Fleeing Africa in Mediterranean Sea
July 18, 2018
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was part of a group that rescued a shipwrecked woman in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday.
According to Jason Owens of Yahoo Sports, the woman was fleeing Africa and was saved by Proactiva Open Arms, which is a Spanish activist group.
Gasol tweeted the following photo and message regarding the rescue effort:
Per Owens, Proactiva Open Arms also found the dead bodies of another woman and a toddler among the wreckage.
Proactiva Open Arms alleged that the Libyan Coast Guard destroyed the ship that contained the migrants.
According to the Associated Press (h/t NBC News), Libyan Coast Guard spokesman Ayoub Gassim said they stopped a boat carrying 158 passengers to provide aid and that "human traffickers" are to blame for the wreck.
Per Owens, Oscar Camps of Proactiva Open Arms countered that narrative: "The Libyan Coast Guard announced that it had intercepted a boat with 158 people on board and provided medical and humanitarian assistance. What they did not say was that they left two women and a child on board and sank the ship because they did not want to go on the Libyan patrol."
The 33-year-old Gasol is a Barcelona, Spain, native who has spent his entire 10-year NBA career with the Grizzlies.
