In just one day, three boats were found, each carrying dozens of migrants heading to Italy. For eleven people “the rescue came too late.”
The crews of three drifting boats bound for Italy were rescued this Monday, confirming at least 11 dead and more than 60 missing, including 26 children.
The German NGO Resqship announced on its social networks that 51 people were rescued from a floating wooden boat in Italian waters. Nadir’s rescue navigation team used an ax to enter the ship’s lower deck, where there were still ten dead. “The rescue came too late,” lamented the organization.
????(1/2) #Nadir It currently serves 51 people on board. The rescue came too late for 10 people.
In the wooden boat, which was full of water, there were a total of 61 people traveling. Our team was able to evacuate 51 people, two of whom were unconscious; They had to be freed with an axe.
-RESQSHIP (@resqship_int) June 17, 2024
According to El País, the ship broke up a few days after leaving a port in Turkey transporting people of Afghan, Iraqi, Syrian and Iranian nationalities. Lifeguards report that The sinking occurred after an explosion.something that health professionals considered possible due to the burns on the bodies of some survivors.
Those rescued were transported by the Italian coast guard to Roccella Jonica, where they received medical and psychological assistance.
Still in Italian waters, another ship was spotted adrift by a French pleasure boat, which managed to rescue twelve people, one of whom died before reaching dry land, and sent a “may day” signal. emergency) to the coast guard. said Corriere della Serra.
The immigrants were picked up by two merchant ships at the request of the Italian guard and transported to Roccella Jonica. “Before we were traumatized people, the pain was palpable. Seeing a family member or friend drown is always horrible,” said Doctors Without Borders cultural mediator Shakilla Mohammadi.
In their first testimonies, the survivors revealed that At least 66 more people were still missing in the Mediterranean, including 26 children.
Also this Monday morning, 54 immigrants, including 28 unaccompanied minors, were rescued from an inflatable boat by the Ocean Viking ship of the NGO SOS Méditerranée, the organization announced on its X account (formerly Twitter).
This morning, the teams #VikingOcean rescued 54 people, including 28 unaccompanied minors, from a crowded rubber boat detected by binoculars from the bridge, in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region. pic.twitter.com/hUXzxDoCB9
— SOS MEDITERRANEAN (@SOSMedIntl) June 17, 2024
The immigrants left Libya and also headed to the Italian coast.
According to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, 23,700 immigrants arrived on the country’s beaches in 2024 alone.
Source: Observadora
