On Tuesday alone, 173 migrants arrived on the island on board five boats. Among other things, a fishing boat with 134 Egyptians on board was rescued on Monday. The refugees said they left Zuara in Libya on Friday evening following paying between 500 and 2,000 euros. The migrants, including several unaccompanied minors, were taken to the island’s refugee center.
“Sea Watch 5” rescued 118 migrants
On Sunday, the German NGO ship “Sea Watch 5” rescued 118 migrants in two different missions in the central Mediterranean. Italy assigned the ship the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara. It is regarding 1,150 kilometers away. “The purpose of these remote ports is to keep the rescue ships away from the operational area so that they cannot rescue other people in distress,” complained the NGO Sea Watch.
153,677 migrants (as of December 22nd) have arrived in southern Italy since the beginning of 2023 following sea journeys across the Mediterranean. In the comparable period of 2022 there were 101,120, said the Interior Ministry in Rome.
