The Maltese Navy has rescued 75 refugees from the Mediterranean, who had clung to a tuna enclosure off Libya’s coast. People were brought to Malta, the Maltese military said today. The rescue operation took place in coordination with the Italian and Libyan Coast Guard last night.
The small island nation south of Sicily had in recent years largely left it up to Italy to rescue and take in refugees who attempt to cross the Mediterranean from Libya.
But because there are hardly any rescue ships left on the Libyan coast and the populist government in Rome vehemently rejects the admission of refugees, Malta has recently launched more rescue operations. Since January, more than 500 refugees arrived in Malta and more than 1,400 in Italy. Malta has asked the EU for help in dealing with the refugees.
Italian ship rescues 90 refugees
However, the Italian naval ship „Cigala Fulgosi“ has today rescued 90 refugees aboard a dinghy ship that has been in distress near the Libyan coast. The dinghy without engine was located in international waters, reported the aid organization Alarm Phone, which reports distress in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the organization, the body of a five-year-old girl was aboard the dinghy. The aid organization complained that the Italian naval vessel had hesitated until it went in search of the dinghy. As a result, a lot of time has been lost. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini operates a policy of „closed ports“. Rescue ships of aid organizations are not allowed to enter Italy in most cases.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 24,687 immigrants reached Europe this year. In 2018 there were a total of 144,000 people, of whom Spain alone received 65,000.
