Status: 25.09.2021 3:54 p.m.
The crew of the sea rescue ship “Ocean Viking” had rescued 122 people from a total of four boats in the Mediterranean in the past few days. Now the ship was allowed to dock in Sicily to bring the refugees ashore.
The rescue ship “Ocean Viking” has docked in Sicily. The disembarkation of 122 children, women and men in Augusta has started, said the aid organization SOS Méditerranée, which operates the rescue ship, on Twitter. All survivors would be tested for Covid-19 by Italian health authorities before leaving the ship, it said.
According to its own statements, the “Ocean Viking” had been assigned the port of Augusta on Friday night. “For those rescued and the crew on board, it is a great relief that the wait for instructions from the maritime authorities for disembarkation is over,” said the aid organization.
Almost 1,400 people died in the Mediterranean that year
The “Ocean Viking” had rescued people from a total of four boats in distress since last week. Three refugees and their relatives were taken off board for health reasons.
The Mediterranean is one of the most dangerous escape routes in the world. So far this year, at least 1,392 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration. The number of unreported cases is estimated to be much higher.