Later, the NGO claimed to rescue a third ship with 90 refugees. Among the rescued were numerous children and women. The aid organization is deployed with three ships off the coast of Libya.
Meanwhile, west of the Greek peninsula of Peloponnese, the Greek Coast Guard reportedly rescued 60 refugees from distress. The migrants‘ boat ran aground off the coast of the small town of Zacharo. The crew of two boats of the Coast Guard had brought the migrants to safety, said a Coast Guard officer today the dpa on. All people are well. At first it was unclear from which states they came, it said.
Coast Guard officials suspected that the migrants had left the Turkish coast or headed for Italy from Egypt. After the extensive closure of the Balkan route, migrants try again and again to come to the EU via this route.
More than 1,300 people died according to the UN
According to UN figures, more than 1,300 people have died since the beginning of the year in an attempt to reach Italy or Malta by sea.
Meanwhile, the German refugee organization Sea-Eye launched a new rescue mission in the Mediterranean. The reconstructed German research vessel „Professor Albrecht Penck“ yesterday after several days of review by the Spanish authorities, the port of Algeciras in the direction of Libya leave. According to the NGO, it is the first ship of a civilian rescue organization under the German flag.
The crew consists partly of former crew members of the rescue ship „Aquarius“, which its mission after massive pressure from the policy – u. a. from Italy and Austria – had ceased in early December.
Italy does not accept refugees
Italy is unwilling to accept people rescued by a ship owned by the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini reiterated today that Italy’s ports remain closed to rescuers with refugees on board.
The NGO asked Rome to let people get off in an Italian port. „My answer is clear: the Italian ports are closed. For tugs and those who support them, the beautiful life is over, „said Salvini on Facebook.
Italy’s Right Lega government and the populist five-star movement that has ruled the country since June has turned down aid ships with refugees in recent months. Salvini has banned NGO ships from calling at Italian ports
