Rome, Apr. 10, (dpa/GNA) - German aid organization Sea-Watch said one of its vessels rescued more than 200 migrants in the Mediterranean during the weekend.
As the Berlin-based charity said on Sunday, its Sea-Watch 3 ship was deployed five times within about 24 hours to save people from drowning.
After 26 people were brought on board in two operations on Friday, the ship then discovered a boat with 60 people on Saturday.
Shortly afterwards, another distress call was registered: After an inflatable boat sank, 34 survivors were pulled out of the water. The survivors reported 53 people had been in the boat at one time, but some had drowned. The crew of the Sea-Watch 3 also saw several bodies in the water.
Shortly afterwards, 87 people were brought on board in a fifth operation.
The ship is cruising off the Libyan coast. It is from there that many migrants dare to make the dangerous crossing in boats that are often overcrowded or unseaworthy. They aim for Malta or southern Italy and hope for a better life in the EU.
Meanwhile, after almost two weeks of waiting for permission to dock, the rescue ship Geo Barents of the aid organization Doctors Without Borders was granted anchor at a port in Sicily to allow the 113 migrants on board be processed by authorities.
GNA