About 1,000 migrants arrived safely at two Italian ports this Saturday after the overcrowded boats they were on ran into trouble in the Mediterranean, local press reported.
The rescues took place on the same day the body of the 74th victim of the deadly shipwreck was discovered nearly two weeks ago. It concerns a female child between five and six years old, according to the AGI news agency. The February 26 shipwreck, which took place off the coast of Calabria, drew harsh criticism from the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for failing to act in time to prevent the tragedy.
The Coast Guard announced a major rescue operation on Friday after three boats drifted off the coast of Italy. One was south of the Calabrian town of Crotone and the other two further south of Roccella Ionica.
Coast Guard video released Friday showed a large fishing boat rocking back and forth in rough seas with dozens of people visible on deck. Those 487 migrants on board were safely brought to the port of Crotone early Saturday morning, according to several new reports.
At the same time, a coastguard ship with 584 migrants docked, also this Saturday morning, in Reggio Calabria. The status of the third boat identified by the Coast Guard on Friday is still unclear.
The Alarm Phone organization, which receives requests for help from insecure boats carrying migrants, today warned of another boat leaving Libya with 47 people adrift, stressing that the sea state is “extremely dangerous”, so it is “immediate help”. is necessary.
The recent sinking has put the government on the defensive. On Thursday, Meloni held a cabinet meeting in Cutro, close to the disaster site, and announced a new decree with tougher prison sentences for people smugglers, but no new measures to help save lives.
His far-right Brothers of Italy party, which won elections last year, had promised to cut arrivals, but Italy has recently seen a sharp rise in the number of migrants trying to reach its coast via the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean.
The Home Office says more than 17,500 people have arrived by sea this year alone – almost three times the number in the same period last year.
In all, more than 3,000 migrants are crammed into reception facilities, which have a capacity of just 300, following the wave of arrivals in recent days.
Source: DN
