Status: 02.11.2021 8:35 p.m.
Last night, several aid organizations claimed to have saved hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean. The boats of the partially injured refugees were previously in distress.
The German aid organizations Sea-Eye and Mission Lifeline have rescued a total of 325 people from distress in the central Mediterranean during several missions. Last night the ships “Sea-Eye 4” and “Rise Above” were called to a boat with migrants, both organizations said.
After that, the volunteers went to other boats in distress. In the end, the crew of the “Sea-Eye 4” took a total of 325 people from five boats on board. Some had injuries, according to Sea-Eye, and dozens needed medical treatment.
“Ocean Viking” saves 139 people
The private organization SOS Mediterranee had previously announced that it had rescued more than 40 people from distress in the central Mediterranean. The crew discovered the boat with the migrants last night about 200 meters from their ship “Ocean Viking” in the dark, the organization said. Four women and five minors were among those rescued.
In the afternoon, according to SOS Mediterranee, during a second rescue, the volunteers brought more than 90 people on board whose inflatable boat had lost air. That means that there are 139 people on the ship.
Afghans arrive in Sicily
Last night, almost 120 Afghan migrants reached the port of Portopalo di Capo Passero on the southern tip of the Italian island of Sicily, according to the Ansa news agency. The police picked up the people. According to investigators, they may have cast off from Greece or Turkey.
Relief organizations repeatedly report on rescue operations in the Mediterranean. People often leave the coasts of North Africa and want to reach the EU via the dangerous route across the Mediterranean. Your destination is therefore mostly Italy. Recently, many people, including Afghans in particular, arrived on the south coast of Calabria, which, according to media reports, sometimes overwhelmed the local authorities.