By AFP
June 17, 2024
More than 3,150 migrants died or disappeared in the Mediterranean last year - Copyright GUARDIA COSTIERA/AFP Handout
More than 3,150 migrants died or disappeared in the Mediterranean last year - Copyright GUARDIA COSTIERA/AFP Handout
Gael BRANCHEREAU, Ella IDE
The Italian coastguard searched off southern Italy Monday for survivors or the bodies of dozens of migrants feared missing, after two shipwrecks left 11 people dead.
With up to 60 migrants potentially lost at sea, the coastguard said it has been looking for “possible missing persons” since late Sunday, “following the shipwreck of a sailing boat with migrants on board, presumably departing from Turkey”.
Rescue efforts began after “a ‘mayday’ from a French pleasure boat” some 120 nautical miles off the Italian coast, it said.
The French vessel alerted authorities to “the presence of the half-sunken boat”, before taking 12 surviving migrants on board.
They were then transferred to an Italian coastguard boat, which took them to the town of Roccella Ionica in southern Italy.
One of the surviving 12 died after disembarking, the coastguard said.
Around 50 migrants were missing following the shipwreck, according to ANSA news agency, while Radio Radicale put the number at 64, adding that those lost at sea were from Afghanistan and Iran.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it was providing “psychological assistance to all survivors”.
The team had “supported first aid activities for 12 people, including a woman who died shortly fter disembarkation due to her severe medical condition”, it said.
– Flooded lower deck –
Further south, rescuers coming to the aid of migrants on a wooden boat off the Italian island of Lampedusa found 10 bodies below deck, the German aid group ResQship posted on X Monday.
The crew of ResQship’s vessel, the Nadir, managed to pull 51 people to safety.
“The rescue came too late for 10 people,” the German charity said.
“A total of 61 people were on the wooden boat, which was full of water. Our crew was able to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious — they had to be cut free with an axe,” it said.
“The 10 dead are in the flooded lower deck of the boat,” it added.
The survivors hailed from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt and Syria, according to ANSA, which said they had paid around $3,500 to travel in the eight-metre (26-foot) long boat.
More than 3,150 migrants died or disappeared in the Mediterranean last year, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
The Central Mediterranean is the deadliest known migration route in the world, representing 80 percent of the deaths and disappearances in the Mediterranean sea.
It is widely used by migrants fleeing conflict or poverty, who set off from Tunisia or Libya by boat in bids to enter the European Union via Italy.
– Tough choice –
The EU recently adopted a vast reform toughening immigration control at its borders.
And since coming to power in 2022, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to dramatically slash the number of people crossing by boat from the coast of North Africa.
Rome has brought in a slew of rules to curb the activities of charity ships accused of being a pull factor for migrants — from limiting the number of rescues to assigning them distant ports.
Under a law adopted at the start of 2023, charity ships are obliged to travel “without delay” to port as soon as their first rescue is complete — even if they become aware of other migrants in difficulty.
In recent months, the Italian coastguard has assigned increasingly distant ports to ships, sometimes in difficult weather conditions, to the detriment of vulnerable migrants’ physical and mental health.
Charity crews face a tough choice: comply with the Italian authorities by leaving migrant boats adrift despite the risk that people could die, or disobey and face having their ships impounded.
Arrivals by sea to Italy have dropped considerably since the start of the year, with some 23,725 people landing so far, compared to 53,902 in the same period in 2023, according to the interior ministry.
The Italian coastguard searched off southern Italy Monday for survivors or the bodies of dozens of migrants feared missing, after two shipwrecks left 11 people dead.
With up to 60 migrants potentially lost at sea, the coastguard said it has been looking for “possible missing persons” since late Sunday, “following the shipwreck of a sailing boat with migrants on board, presumably departing from Turkey”.
Rescue efforts began after “a ‘mayday’ from a French pleasure boat” some 120 nautical miles off the Italian coast, it said.
The French vessel alerted authorities to “the presence of the half-sunken boat”, before taking 12 surviving migrants on board.
They were then transferred to an Italian coastguard boat, which took them to the town of Roccella Ionica in southern Italy.
One of the surviving 12 died after disembarking, the coastguard said.
Around 50 migrants were missing following the shipwreck, according to ANSA news agency, while Radio Radicale put the number at 64, adding that those lost at sea were from Afghanistan and Iran.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it was providing “psychological assistance to all survivors”.
The team had “supported first aid activities for 12 people, including a woman who died shortly fter disembarkation due to her severe medical condition”, it said.
– Flooded lower deck –
Further south, rescuers coming to the aid of migrants on a wooden boat off the Italian island of Lampedusa found 10 bodies below deck, the German aid group ResQship posted on X Monday.
The crew of ResQship’s vessel, the Nadir, managed to pull 51 people to safety.
“The rescue came too late for 10 people,” the German charity said.
“A total of 61 people were on the wooden boat, which was full of water. Our crew was able to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious — they had to be cut free with an axe,” it said.
“The 10 dead are in the flooded lower deck of the boat,” it added.
The survivors hailed from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt and Syria, according to ANSA, which said they had paid around $3,500 to travel in the eight-metre (26-foot) long boat.
More than 3,150 migrants died or disappeared in the Mediterranean last year, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
The Central Mediterranean is the deadliest known migration route in the world, representing 80 percent of the deaths and disappearances in the Mediterranean sea.
It is widely used by migrants fleeing conflict or poverty, who set off from Tunisia or Libya by boat in bids to enter the European Union via Italy.
– Tough choice –
The EU recently adopted a vast reform toughening immigration control at its borders.
And since coming to power in 2022, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to dramatically slash the number of people crossing by boat from the coast of North Africa.
Rome has brought in a slew of rules to curb the activities of charity ships accused of being a pull factor for migrants — from limiting the number of rescues to assigning them distant ports.
Under a law adopted at the start of 2023, charity ships are obliged to travel “without delay” to port as soon as their first rescue is complete — even if they become aware of other migrants in difficulty.
In recent months, the Italian coastguard has assigned increasingly distant ports to ships, sometimes in difficult weather conditions, to the detriment of vulnerable migrants’ physical and mental health.
Charity crews face a tough choice: comply with the Italian authorities by leaving migrant boats adrift despite the risk that people could die, or disobey and face having their ships impounded.
Arrivals by sea to Italy have dropped considerably since the start of the year, with some 23,725 people landing so far, compared to 53,902 in the same period in 2023, according to the interior ministry.
German rescue group: 10 migrants found dead in Mediterranean
Rescuers from a German rescue group said 10 bodies were found on a wooden boat in the Mediterranean during a rescue operation.
Rescuers from a German rescue group said 10 bodies were found on a wooden boat in the Mediterranean during a rescue operation.
German rescue charity ResQship said that it had managed to rescue 51 people from a flooded but the bodies of 10 people were found below deck
Bodies discovered in flooded lower deck
Rescuers managed to save 51 people, however, the bodies of 10 people were found below the flooded deck of the vessel.
The charity did not provide details about where or when this specific rescue operation took place, but according to the marinetraffic.com tracking service, it was in the western Mediterranean, between the Tunisian port of Sfax and Italy's island of Lampedusa.
"A total of 61 people were on the wooden boat, which was full of water. Our crew was able to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious — they had to be cut free with an axe," it said.
"The 10 dead are in the flooded lower deck of the boat," the rescue charity added.
Dozens of people reported missing off Calabria
In a separate incident, Italy's coastguard said that searches were being conducted for people who had gone overboard off Calabria, with local reports citing survivors that upwards of 60 people were missing.
Reuters news agency quoted the coastguard as saying that search operations began on Sunday night for "possible missing persons, following the shipwreck of a sailing boat with migrants on board, presumably departing from Turkey."
Rescue efforts began after "a 'mayday' from a French pleasure boat sailing off the Italian coast," the coastguard was reported as having said.
It went on to say that one of the surviving 12 died after disembarking.
Libya and Tunisia are among the become major departure points for migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Migrants and asylum seekers attempt perilous journeys by sea in often rickety boats through the Mediterranean in the hopes of a better life.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the central Mediterranean has become the world's deadliest migratory route, claiming more than 20,000 lives since 2014.
EU accused of funding abuse of migrants in Africa 02:38
kb/lo (Reuters, AFP)
Leon Salner/RESQSHIP e.V./dpa/picture alliance
The bodies of 10 migrants have been discovered on a wooden boat by rescuers from German migrant rescue charity, ResQship.
The group said on Monday that rescuers had come to assist a wooden vessel in distress in the Mediterranean.
The bodies of 10 migrants have been discovered on a wooden boat by rescuers from German migrant rescue charity, ResQship.
The group said on Monday that rescuers had come to assist a wooden vessel in distress in the Mediterranean.
Bodies discovered in flooded lower deck
Rescuers managed to save 51 people, however, the bodies of 10 people were found below the flooded deck of the vessel.
The charity did not provide details about where or when this specific rescue operation took place, but according to the marinetraffic.com tracking service, it was in the western Mediterranean, between the Tunisian port of Sfax and Italy's island of Lampedusa.
"A total of 61 people were on the wooden boat, which was full of water. Our crew was able to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious — they had to be cut free with an axe," it said.
"The 10 dead are in the flooded lower deck of the boat," the rescue charity added.
Dozens of people reported missing off Calabria
In a separate incident, Italy's coastguard said that searches were being conducted for people who had gone overboard off Calabria, with local reports citing survivors that upwards of 60 people were missing.
Reuters news agency quoted the coastguard as saying that search operations began on Sunday night for "possible missing persons, following the shipwreck of a sailing boat with migrants on board, presumably departing from Turkey."
Rescue efforts began after "a 'mayday' from a French pleasure boat sailing off the Italian coast," the coastguard was reported as having said.
It went on to say that one of the surviving 12 died after disembarking.
Libya and Tunisia are among the become major departure points for migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Migrants and asylum seekers attempt perilous journeys by sea in often rickety boats through the Mediterranean in the hopes of a better life.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the central Mediterranean has become the world's deadliest migratory route, claiming more than 20,000 lives since 2014.
EU accused of funding abuse of migrants in Africa 02:38
kb/lo (Reuters, AFP)
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