Two pilots have spent their combined life savings for the sole purpose of saving refugees from the perils of sailing across the Mediterranean Sea.

José Benavente and Benoit Micolon are the French altruists behind the volunteer rescue group Pilotes Volontaires. The two men launched the effort after they pooled their hard-earned money to purchase a $150,000 plane to be used for rescuing migrants at sea.

“José and I bought the plane with our own personal money because otherwise we would have wasted too much time searching for financing,” Micolon told NBC News.

Benavente is no stranger to humanitarian efforts – for 25 years, he’s worked [...]