Migrants: increase in shipwrecks and rescue operations in the Mediterranean

The German NGO Sea-Watch announced this Saturday, December 25, 2021 that it had rescued 350 migrants in the central Mediterranean in barely 30 central hours as part of four rescue operations carried out since Friday by its ship, the “Sea-Watch 3”.

- LOCALTEAM / AFP / File

Text by: RFI Follow

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The shipwrecks of migrant boats have increased in recent days in the Mediterranean.

The Greek coast guard was on the search Saturday, December 25 for survivors after the sinking of migrants in the Aegean Sea, which brought the toll of these accidents repeated this week to at least 30 dead.

Off the coast of Tunisia, 48 migrants from Libya were rescued at sea. And the NGO Sea-Watch said on Saturday evening that it had rescued 350 people in barely 30 hours.

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In

, at least sixteen people this Friday, December 24 (12 men, 3 women and a baby) and at least 30 people in total lost their lives during these accidents, which affected three boats of migrants from Turkey. neighbor. Faced with the

in Greece, smugglers and migrants indeed tend to take more perilous routes, especially to Italy, reports

,

.

The latest in a series of three migrant canoes to be shipwrecked in Greece, this time off the island of Paros, in the Cyclades archipelago, numbered, according to survivors' accounts, around 80 people. its edge. The Greek coastguard, for their part, said they had rescued 63 people, transferred for the moment to this island of Paros. Sea searches were also still underway this weekend, including three boats, a plane and divers.

Paros, Folegandros, Antykythira, the Greek islands off which the last three shipwrecks of asylum seekers and migrants took place were not referenced, until recently, on the map of migratory routes.

Since 2015, the canoes have mostly docked on the Greek islands closest to Turkey, such as Lesbos or Samos, which have since housed refugee camps.

The last three accidents therefore indicate the gradual appearance of alternative migratory routes.

As always, the Greek authorities, for their part, accused neighboring Turkey of laxity, which " 

 ".

►

Migrants rescued off Tunisia

In all 48 migrants trying to reach Europe illegally from Libya aboard a makeshift boat were rescued this Saturday, December 25 off the south-eastern coast of Tunisia.

This is what the

Tunisian Red Crescent

told

.

After their boat broke down, these migrants, including 15 Malians, 15 Syrians and 4 Egyptians, were intercepted and rescued by the Tunisian coast guard off Zarzis, said Mongi Slim, head of the Red Crescent for the south of

.

They were taken to the port of El-Ketef in the Ben Guerdane area before being transferred to three homes of the International Organization of Migrants (IOM) in Tataouine, Medenine and Zarzis, he added.

On Thursday, a Tunisian military maritime unit rescued 28 migrants aged 14 and 33 off Zarzis.

They were also trying to reach Europe from the Libyan coast, the defense ministry said in a statement.

Despite persistent insecurity, Libya remains an important crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe each year via the Italian coast, 300 km away.

According to the IOM, nearly 23,000 people have died or have been missing in the Mediterranean since 2014, after trying to reach Europe, including nearly 1,700 since the start of 2021.

350 migrants rescued in 30 hours by the NGO Sea-Watch

The German NGO Sea-Watch announced on Saturday that it had rescued more than 270 migrants in the central Mediterranean as part of three rescue operations carried out since Friday by its ship, the “Sea-Watch 3”.

The Sea-Watch 3 assisted two inflatable boats in distress overnight and early on Christmas Saturday morning, the NGO announced on its Twitter account.

There were around 100 and 80 people aboard the two overcrowded rubber dinghies that were rescued about 38 nautical miles from the Libyan coast, a spokesperson told AFP.

The Sea-Watch crew are now caring for around 270 migrants in total, after an initial rescue on Friday morning of 93 migrants who were in international waters south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The crew of the Sea Watch 3 then launched an inflatable boat to evacuate the passengers from their wooden boat described as " 

 " by the NGO.

The Sea Watch 3 began its "

" Thursday evening 

 while throughout Europe " 

 " while " 

 ", according to another tweet.

Migrant boats, often in poor condition and liable to sink, frequently make their way to Lampedusa due to its proximity to the North African coast.

The Sea-Watch 3 has been sailing off the Libyan coast since November 2017 and actively searches for boats in distress.

🔴 Fourth rescue within just over 30 hours.

@alarm_phone had reported a rubber boat in distress.

Our crew was able to bring all 78 people safely to the # SeaWatch3, where we now take care of 350 guests.

pic.twitter.com/TY6WxFrPM8

- Sea-Watch International (@seawatch_intl) December 25, 2021

Two ships that rescued nearly 330 migrants authorized to disembark in Sicily

Two humanitarian ships which rescued nearly 330 migrants in the Mediterranean have been authorized to disembark in Sicily, announced the NGOs Sea-Eye and SOS Méditerranée, which charter these boats.

  The Sea-Eye 4 landed 214 people on Friday in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo.

The

, chartered by SOS Méditerranée, docked in the port of Trapani.

📌UPDATE The # OceanViking has docked in the port of Trapani.

⁰After more than a week at sea, goodbyes are moving for everyone.

While the survivors are tested for COVID19, the disembarkation has started with unaccompanied minors & families pic.twitter.com/12wCS5ASkS

- SOS MEDITERRANEE France (@SOSMedFrance) December 25, 2021

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