118 people rescued from the Mediterranean on Christmas Eve
The International Organization for Migration has counted 2678 deaths on the central migration route through the Mediterranean so far this year alone. On Christmas Eve, the German ship "Seawatch 5" saved almost 120 people from suffering the same terrible fate.
According to the German aid organization Seawatch, it rescued more than a hundred migrants in distress in the Mediterranean on Christmas Eve. The ship "Seawatch 5" rescued a total of 118 people during two missions on 24 December, the organization announced, including 32 children and unaccompanied minors. Italy had assigned the ship to the port of Marina di Carrara, around 1150 kilometers away.
According to the organization, 54 people were rescued from an overcrowded rubber dinghy off the Libyan coast during the rescue ship's first mission on Christmas Eve. Immediately afterwards, the "Seawatch 5" received another distress call. A further 64 people were rescued and "brought safely on board". The youngest of the rescued children is three years old. Many of those rescued were exhausted and dehydrated, it said. The people were being treated on board.
Together with Tunisia, Libya is the main transit country for migrants who want to reach the EU via the Mediterranean. The United Nations has described the migration route across the Mediterranean as the deadliest in the world. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2678 people have died on the central Mediterranean route so far this year.
"There is no quiet night when people have to flee across the sea in search of safety," explained Anne Dekker, head of operations on board the "Seawatch 5". "Safe escape routes" must be created to prevent further tragedies. A debate recently broke out in Germany about the legal assessment of sea rescue. As part of the agreement on fundamental migration issues - deportations and naturalizations are to be simplified - the coalition government with the traffic light system also agreed shortly before Christmas to make it legally clear that the sea rescue of refugees would not be criminalized in the future.
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The rescue operation on Christmas Eve was not an isolated incident, as many refugees continue to risk their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean towards Italy. In fact, according to the International Organization for Migration, over 2600 people have perished on this route this year alone.
The Italian coast is a common destination for refugees fleeing their homes, making Italy a key player in the international sea rescue efforts in the Mediterranean.
Source: www.ntv.de
