The boat of the German NGO Sea-Eye, which rescued 133 migrants at sea on Saturday, is heading towards the port of Marseille in France on Wednesday after seeing its attempts to reach the Italian coast fail.

The NGO denounces the inaction of Italy and Germany.

The boat Alan Kurdi of the German NGO Sea-Eye, which rescued 133 migrants at sea on Saturday, is heading for the port of Marseille in France after seeing its attempts to reach the Italian coast fail, the NGO announced on Wednesday.

"The inaction of the Italian and German authorities forces us to this measure," assured the leader of the NGO, Gorden Isler, in a statement.

125 people still on board

Since Tuesday evening, the Alan Kurdi has therefore been heading to the port in the south of France where he was "as planned to go to change the crew and prepare for a new intervention" in the eastern Mediterranean, Sea said. -Eye, an NGO based in Regensburg, Bavaria (Germany).

On Tuesday morning, the Italian coast guard evacuated two women, a man and five children, including a five-month-old baby, Sea-Eye said, adding on Twitter that 125 people are still on board.

Italy returns to Germany, country of origin of the NGO

Sea-Eye explains that until Tuesday evening, "no European rescue operations command post has taken charge of the coordination for the people rescued who are on the Alan Kurdi", the Italians returning in particular to Germany , country of origin of the NGO.

It renewed Tuesday evening its appeals to the command posts of Italy, Malta, Germany and France as well as to the German Foreign Ministry, "but none responded", underlines Sea-Eye.

An upsurge in boats in the central Mediterranean

The year 2020 is marked by an upsurge of boats in the central Mediterranean, the deadliest migratory route in the world for candidates for exile to Europe, mainly from Libya and neighboring Tunisia.

Between the beginning of January and the end of July, crossing attempts from Libya increased by 91%, compared to the same period last year, representing 14,481 people who took to sea. Those from Tunisia soared, with 10,174 people affected, an increase of 462%.

More than 300 migrants have perished this year attempting the crossing, but the figure could actually be much higher, estimates the International Organization for Migration (IOM).