• Boat with 25 migrants on board lost in the Mediterranean

  • Ocean Viking 'forgotten' at sea in the run up to Christmas, 114 migrants on board

  • Completed the disembarkation of 214 migrants from the Sea Eye.

    No positives, 9 conducted in the hospital

  • Shipwreck in Libya, 28 bodies found in the coastal city of Khoms

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December 26, 2021 "Sea Watch3 rescued 96 people on a dinghy in serious distress that was taking on water. Among the survivors a pregnant woman in her ninth month. We have 446 shipwrecked on board. The youngest of them is two weeks old."

The Sea-Watch organization writes on Twitter.

The dinghy was taking on water in the Sicilian Channel. 



đź”´ Fifth operation in three days.



The # SeaWatch3 rescued 96 people on a dinghy in serious distress that was taking on water.


Among the castaways a pregnant woman in her ninth month.



We have 446 castaways on board.


The youngest of them is two weeks old.

pic.twitter.com/D1jitt6QXU

- Sea-Watch Italy (@SeaWatchItaly) December 26, 2021



Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has concluded the search for the small boat, with 27 migrants on board, which had been underway for two days. The small boat was spotted a few hours ago on the Crotone coast. All 27 migrants are in good condition. The first report was triggered in the afternoon of 23 December, when the punt sailed within the Maltese SAR area. The search operations, coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard, began in the afternoon of 24 December, when the boat was spotted by a Frontex aircraft within the Italian SAR area.



There are many operations at the turn of the Christmas holidays. Among the various rescue operations coordinated by the national operations center in Rome, the one concerning the rescue of a fishing boat - coming from the eastern Mediterranean route - with about 400 migrants on board - including 51 women and 71 minors - sighted at about 80 miles off Crotone, in dangerous conditions considering the high number of people on board and the conditions of the unit.  



Twenty-eight bodies were abandoned by the waves on Al-Alous beach, 90 kilometers west of Tripoli, where they were also rescued by the Libyan Red Crescent. The bodies were taken to the Khoms hospital morgue. This was reported by the director of the hospital, Dr. Osama al-Saket, who explained that their burial is a challenge for local authorities. "Mostly they can handle one or two bodies, not as many as today," he said.



At least 30 corpses were recovered in the water near Greek islands in recent days: 11 Thursday in sight of the islet of Antikhytera (Anticitera) and a few hours later, Friday, 16 off Paros, including a newborn and three women, compared to 63 rescued after a rubber dinghy with at least 80 people on board capsized. On Saturday, on Christmas day, a rubber boat capsized not far from the island of Folegandros and three people drowned. But there were between 32 and 50 people on board, who are mostly still missing and could turn this shipwreck into the worst sea tragedy in the Aegean this year.



A Christmas of death in the Mediterranean.

From the Aegean to the Sicilian channel to Libya, despite the rough sea and bad weather conditions, hundreds of migrants attempted the journey of hope to Europe, and dozens died, while the landings continued unabated on the Italian coasts.