March 23 () –
The Italian Coast Guard has rescued this Thursday more than 700 migrants in two separate operations during the day on the coasts of Syracuse and Calabria, where a shipwreck at the end of February left almost 90 people dead.
The first operation of the Coast Guard, which has been coordinated by the maritime authorities of Reggio Calabria, has rescued 295 migrants early in the morning aboard a fishing boat near the Calabrian coast. “The rescued people were transported to a safe place in three patrol boats,” he said in a statement.
On the other hand, the second operation carried out by the Coast Guard, in close collaboration with the maritime authorities of Catania, has rescued 450 migrants aboard another fishing boat east of Syracuse.
“The unit, in precarious navigation conditions, was reached and rescued by the Nave Corsi and a Coast Guard SAR patrol boat. Three merchant ships and a Frontex patrol boat attended the scene,” he specified.
These rescues come after a boat with nearly 200 migrants on board capsized off the coast of Italy’s Calabria region at the end of February, killing 86 people.
After the tragedy, the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, met with survivors and relatives of the victims, although she also assured that she had a clear conscience in the face of the restrictive immigration measures promoted by her Executive.
