"Relief on board", reacts this Sunday the NGO SOS Mediterranean. The Ocean Viking, a ship it has chartered to assist migrants in danger, will be able to disembark the 180 survivors taken care of between 25 and 30 June in Maltese waters. "We have just received instructions from the Italian maritime authorities to disembark the 180 survivors of the Ocean Viking at the port of Puerto Empedocle", in Sicily, said to Parisian Laurence Bondard, spokesperson for the NGO, on Sunday from the humanitarian ship.
Some migrants have spent almost 10 days on this boat, which is experiencing increased tensions. The team identified six suicide attempts on board and several threats to lifeguards. Consequently, on Friday, the Ocean Viking, which was stationed 30 km from the Sicilian coast, declared itself in a state of emergency and asked the Italian authorities to take care, as a priority, of 44 migrants judged to be in "distress" acute psychological ”. All the passengers will finally be able to dock on Monday.
