increasingly perilous rescues in the Mediterranean

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France 3

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Migrant rescue operations are increasing, especially in Italy, which has been facing a number of arrivals three times higher since January than in 2022.

For two days, 47 migrants, adrift, have been desperately waiting for help. A merchant ship is watching them, with no means to bring them back on board. The boat is in the middle of international waters, between Libya and Italy. Each country expects the other to intervene. According to NGOs, several dozen migrants would have died.

On Saturday March 11, an off-noma rescue operation was deployed off the coast of Italy to rescue 1,350 migrants at the same time, in very difficult weather conditions.

Saturated shipwrecked centers

Exceptional means, deployed 15 days after the sinking of Cutro (Italy), which claimed at least 79 victims. Since January, Italy has faced three times the number of arrivals than last year, with rescues ever more perilous. Most of the castaways will then be temporarily accommodated in dedicated centres. For three days, that of the island of Lampedusa (Italy) has been totally saturated, with 5,000 people welcomed for only 400 places.


source site-29