Rome, Aug. 23, (dpa/GNA) – The rescue ship Geo Barents has been allowed to dock in Sicily with more than 320 refugees rescued from distress at sea on board.
The Italian authorities had allocated the port of Augusta to the crew, the organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which operates the ship, announced on Twitter on Monday.
The Geo Barents had been holding out off the coast for several days after several rescue operations in the Mediterranean, awaiting a decision by the authorities.
Various aid organizations repeatedly head out to sea to save people who are trying to reach the EU by boat in the hope of a better life.
The refugees mostly set sail from the coasts of Libya and Tunisia, often in overcrowded boats. The boats are prone to capsizing, or suffer engine failures and are left drifting at sea.
According to the United Nations, more than 1,020 migrants have already died in the Mediterranean this year. From January to August 2020, there were just under 390.
GNA