An overcrowded boat carrying 87 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean Sea was rescued by the Italian humanitarian organization ‘Emergency’ on Friday. The migrants, including women and children, had departed from Zawiya, Libya.
The migrants were found in a dire situation, without food or water, as their boat was adrift and overcrowded. When the ‘Emergency’ rescue crew arrived, they discovered the vessel taking on water, with deflated tubes.
Among those rescued were a pregnant woman and fourteen unaccompanied minors. The medical team onboard the rescue ship immediately attended to the most vulnerable cases, including the pregnant woman in her fourth month and a diabetic boy.
Upon completing the rescue operation, the relevant authorities were notified, and the port of Naples was designated as the destination for disembarkation.
The 87 migrants hail from countries grappling with conflict and severe economic, political, or social crises, such as Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, South Sudan, Eritrea, Bangladesh, Mali, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, Chad, Cameroon, Senegal, and the Ivory Coast.
The rescue ship, manned by a dedicated crew of seafarers, doctors, mediators, and rescuers, has been actively operating in the central Mediterranean since December 2022. To date, it has successfully rescued a total of 1,631 individuals.
Notably, an Italian security report has revealed that the country received 157,551 irregular migrants via various Mediterranean migration routes last year, with 51,986 migrants arriving from Libya.
The number of migrants to Italy increased by about 50% compared to 2022, with the peak recorded in August 2023, when 25,673 migrants arrived, according to the report published by the AKI agency.
The Tunisian migration route ranked first with 97,667 migrants, followed by the Libyan route, then Turkey with 7,153 migrants, Algeria with 620 migrants, Lebanon with 214 migrants, and one migrant from Cyprus.
The report was issued on the occasion of the 172nd anniversary of the establishment of the Italian police forces.
