September 19 () –
The Geo Barents, a ship belonging to the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), rescued 95 migrants and refugees on Thursday after they were found aboard a precarious boat in the waters of the central Mediterranean, in the first rescue carried out since the administrative blockade imposed by the Italian authorities and lifted last week.
This group of migrants was trying to reach the southern coast of Europe in an overcrowded wooden boat. “Many” of the people on board were women and children, the majority of the latter being unaccompanied minors.
“They are now all safe on board the ‘Geo Barents’,” the organisation announced, thanking the alert and the air support provided by another NGO, Sea Watch.
The government of Giorgia Meloni has tightened control measures on NGO vessels, which are subject to repeated detention after disembarking migrants rescued at sea.
More than 1,100 migrants and refugees have died in the central Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has already recorded almost 23,900 victims since 2014, when it began collecting data on what is considered the deadliest route in the world.
Add Comment