Mediterranean arrivals in Europe up 170% from 2020: UN aa.com.tr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aa.com.tr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A rescue vessel with 455 migrants on board docked in Sicily on Tuesday after it received permission from Italian authorities, the German NGO running the ship said. Disembarkation has started after the SeaWatch4 reached Trapani this morning, Sea-Watch NGO said on Twitter. The unaccompanied minors are the first to leave our ship after being tested for COVID-19 and will be transferred to a dedicated reception centre, it added.
A spokesperson for Sea-Watch said earlier the vessel rescued the migrants in several operations off the Libyan coast over the last weekend as they attempted to reach European shores.
The news comes as Europe faces criticism for often failing to rescue migrants at sea and outsource operations to the Libyan coast guard despite its limited capacity and poor human rights record.
455 Geflüchtete trafen auf Sea Watch in Sizilien ein sn.at - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sn.at Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
UNHCR
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Sami – to whom quoted text may be attributed – who joined the Palais press briefing from the port of Trapani in Sicily where some 450 persons were disembarking following rescue by the NGO vessel Sea Watch.
“I’m calling from the port of Trapani in Sicily. As I speak, over 450 persons are disembarking following rescue by the NGO vessel Sea Watch, among them around 180 are children.
Since the early hours of Saturday 1 May, some 1,500 persons have disembarked in Italy following rescue by the Italian Coast Guard and Custom police or by international NGOs in the Central Mediterranean. Most of the arrivals departed from Libya onboard flimsy, unseaworthy vessels and made repeated distress calls.