On Saturday (August 7th), more than 250 migrants disembarked from an NGO rescue ship, while another ship carrying about 550 people was allowed to land on the Italian island.
After several days of sailing in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, both ships issued urgent appeals for the establishment of a safe port and warned that the health of the people on board was deteriorating, including children.
“#SeaWatch3 (ship) arrived in Trapani this morning. We are very happy to finally have a safe port,” the German organization Sea Watch International tweeted that 257 people were disembarking.
This #SeaWatch3 Arrived in the port of Trapani this morning. We are very happy to finally have a safe harbor. Before our guests safely disembark, all 257 rescued persons on board will be tested for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/elrI5rHcvD
-Seawatch International (@seawatch_intl) August 7, 2021
On Thursday, they warned that the situation was “critical”. Many people on board lacked many medicines and developed symptoms of dehydration. Some of them had been at sea for a week.
At the same time, the crew of another rescue vessel, Ocean Viking, told AFP that they had been allowed to disembark at the port of Pozzallo in Sicily on Sunday and disembark 549 passengers.
They warned earlier that their medicine was about to run out, some people on board were dehydrated, and others had skin infections.
“What we need is a safe place for them to disembark as soon as possible,” said Julia Schaerfermeyer, a crew member and spokesperson, adding that there were 118 minors on board, including 13 and 12. Children under the age of.
The ship operated by the French non-governmental organization SOS Mediterranée rescued 555 people last weekend, although two pregnant women and two others and their two relatives have since been evacuated.
They are waiting for permission to disembark on the east coast of Sicily. They said their request to Malta was rejected, but Tunisia and Libya did not respond.
Schaerfermeyer once called on the European Union to help coordinate plans to manage rescue ships in international waters, “strengthen support for coastal countries and establish a predictable landing mechanism.”
Tens of thousands of people try to cross the central Mediterranean every year, usually starting from Libya and aiming at the Italian coast, but this is a deadly journey.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 1,000 people have lost their lives on this route so far this year.
