EUROPEAN states must resume saving lives in the central Mediterranean, a refugee-rescue organisation urged today before disembarking more than 370 people in Italy.
The Ocean Viking, a rescue ship operated by SOS Mediterranee, rescued 374 people from four boats in distress off the coast of Libya at the weekend.
The Italian coastguard evacuated a heavily pregnant woman from the ship on Saturday.
Then on Sunday, the maritime authorities instructed the crew to head to Augusta on the Italian island of Sicily and disembark the remaining refugees there.
“After weeks of bad weather, conditions off the Libyan coast improved earlier this week, which led to numerous departures of people trying to flee across the central Mediterranean on unseaworthy, overcrowded boats, search-and-rescue co-ordinator Luisa Albera said.