A fishing boat in poor condition was escorted into the harbor town of Crotone by three Italian Coast Guard vessels. Minors were also on board. Another ship with 584 migrants on board arrived at the port of Reggio Calabria.
Italy continues to be confronted with strong migratory movements. Two ships carrying more than 1,000 migrants arrived in southern Italy on Saturday. On Saturday night, a fishing boat with about 500 migrants on board arrived in the port of the southern Italian city of Crotone. The fishing boat, in poor condition, was escorted into port by three Italian Coast Guard vessels. Most of the passengers on board were Afghan refugees, including minors.
An Italian Coast Guard vessel with 584 migrants on board arrived at the port of Reggio Calabria on Saturday. The refugees were brought to safety by the Coast Guard during three rescue operations on Saturday. Among them were 70 women and children, officials said.
The Italian Coast Guard has been involved in several rescue operations in the Mediterranean since Friday. Hundreds of migrants would still be at sea aboard boats unfit to sail. Bad weather hampered the rescue operation. “Rescue efforts are particularly complex given the large numbers of people aboard the drifting boats,” the Coast Guard said. The weather forecast announced strong winds and increasingly rough seas for the weekend.
Since the beginning of 2023, 17,500 people have arrived in Italy after sea voyages across the Mediterranean, compared with 5,976 in the same period in 2022. Most of the migrants come from Ivory Coast, Guinea, Bangladesh and Tunisia, the Interior Ministry in Rome said. .
Coastguard slammed after boat mishap
The Coast Guard was recently criticized for not initially helping a boat with more than 150 migrants in late February. The wooden boat capsized off the coast of Calabria, at least 73 people died. Authorities and the government in Rome explained that they had not initially assumed an emergency situation on the night of the accident.
A week and a half after the tragic boat accident in Calabria, the Italian government passed new immigration rules. The key points of the government decree approved on Thursday are tougher actions against people smugglers and the promotion of regular migration. The decree was approved in a special council of ministers in Cutro, Calabria, whose coast on February 26 at least 74 migrants died in the boat accident. The body of a five-year-old girl was seen at sea on Saturday and recovered.
Prison sentences of up to 30 years are foreseen for traffickers who cause the death of migrants. A new criminal offense will be introduced for those who cause death or serious bodily harm through human trafficking. Hotspots for migrants returning without immigration permission in Italy will be expanded.
(APA)