The Italian authorities have reported the rescue of 17 migrants who were adrift in an inflatable boat near the Libyan coast without any news of another 30 people who were also traveling on the boat. “The boat capsized during the transfer of migrants: 17 people have been rescued and another 30 are missings”, the Italian Coast Guard reported in a statement.
Previously, the NGO Alarm Phone had warned of dozens of drowned migrants and had denounced the abandonment of the Italian authorities. The Coast Guard statement acknowledges that the Alarm Phone alerted the Rome-based National Maritime Rescue Coordination Center on Saturday night of the presence of a boat with 47 migrants adrift on board near Libya. The Maltese and Libyan authorities were also notified.
The vessel was sighted by an aircraft, the ‘ONG Seabird 2’ which contacted the merchant ship ‘Basilis L‘, who went to the place and reported that he had difficulties rescuing the migrants due to the adverse weather conditions.
Italy recalls that the Libyan authorities are competent for this rescue because they are in their corresponding area, but given the lack of availability of means, They asked Rome for help.
“The National Maritime Rescue Coordination Center of Rome at the request of the Libyan authorities immediately sent an emergency message via satellite to all ships in transit,” says the Italian Coast Guard. The ‘Basilis L’ continued in the area and three other merchantmen received the notice. One of the four, the ‘Froland’ started the rescue operation, but it was then that the overturn occurred.
The ‘Frolad’ set course for Malta for the disembarkation of two people who need urgent medical attention and while the search for the missing persons continues with the help of the merchant ships present in the area. Two other merchantmen have arrived at the place and two Frontex aircraft are also involved in the search.
“The Rescue Intervention took place outside the Italian area of responsibilitywhile the other National Maritime Coordination and Rescue Centers involved by area remained passive,” Roma stressed.
La ONG Alarm Phone had previously reported being in contact with a vessel with 47 people on board that was adrift after leaving the coast of Libya. She had also warned that the weather conditions were very dangerous and that “immediate rescue is necessary.”
Another NGO, Sea Watch, had raised the alarm about the situation of these people and the risk posed by the intense waves. The Libyan authorities themselves confirmed to Sea Watch that they would not send any vessels. “When we called the Italian rescue coordination center to ask who would take over the coordination and take responsibility for these people, they hung up on us,” Sea Watch said.
“Italy and the EU countries must take responsibility for rescue at sea and protect the lives of people on the move. Now, immediately, in this case, in all cases,” Sea Watch tweeted.
In full controversy by Meloni and Salvini
This shipwreck occurs just two weeks after the tragedy in Calabria and in full controversy over the recording released in the country of the Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, and the Minister of Transport, Mateo Salvini, singing in karaoke “Marinella’s Song” by Fabrizio de Andre, inspired by the story of an emigrant from Calabria who was found drowned in a river”.
Some opposition politicians and opinionists have harshly criticized the images, which were produced during the League leader’s 50th birthday party and despite the fact that bodies continue to be found from the shipwreck on February 26 off the coast of Calabria. The party also participated in the government partner and leader of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi.
The video was published by the deputy director of the newspaper “Il Giornale”, Nicola Porro on his social networks. “Yesterday was a very painful day for all of us, we buried some coffins, including a little girl. I must say that I was very impressed by the images I saw both the government press conference and the karaoke of Salvini and Meloni, who did not want to meet the families of the victims or pay homage to the coffins, but found time to celebrate Minister Salvini’s 50th birthday,” he said. Matteo Lepore, mayor of Bologna, the city where the funeral of some of the victims of the Cutro shipwreck was held yesterday.
While the spokeswoman for the opposition Democratic Party (PD), Simona Malpezzi, stated: “They did not pay homage to the dead of Cutro, they put on a pathetic staging, they changed institutional commitments to go sing at Salvini’s party. Inhumanity, cynicism, improvisation and cruelty: this government explained it in a few gestures. What a shame…”.
Last Thursday, Meloni organized a council of ministers in Cutro, the town where the shipwreck of a barge with about 200 migrants occurred and of which only 80 survived and so far the bodies of 74 people have been found, including 30 minors. . However, none of the members of the Government went to the Crotone sports palace where the coffins with the victims were placed, while the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and the leader of the PD, Elly Shlein, did attend.