Italian coastguards rescue 96 migrants in distress off Calabria coast

June 17 () –

An Italian Coast Guard patrol boat rescued a drifting sailboat with 96 migrants on board last night during a long night operation some 100 nautical miles from Roccella, in Calabria, within the Italian maritime rescue area of ​​responsibility.

Due to “prohibitive sea conditions and the large number of people on board,” it was not initially possible to transfer the migrants safely to the patrol boat, despite the presence of a dedicated merchant unit to protect the execution. of operations from inclement weather, according to a statement.

The Coast Guard maritime lifeguards then boarded the sailboat with the aim of reassuring the occupants, directing the unit and trying to maintain a more sheltered position, to allow the patrol boat to flank.

Thanks also to the intervention on the ground by a Portuguese patrol boat that operated for the Frontex agency, the rescue, despite its complexity, ended successfully at dawn.

A woman who fell into the sea during the first phase of the rescue was immediately rescued and transferred to the patrol boat, which arrived a few hours ago at the port of Roccella.