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Oscar Camps, founder of the aid organization Proactiva Open Arms, on the deck of the rescue ship (archive)
Photo: David Zorrakino / dpa
After a good two weeks of Corona quarantine in Italy, the rescuers of the Open Arms aid organization have left the port in Sicily and want to set sail again.
"The quarantine is over, we are leaving the port of Trapani in the direction of Barcelona," wrote Open Arms on Twitter.
The crew will be exchanged, then it's back to sea.
The ship reached the Italian coast in mid-November with more than 250 people rescued from distress on board.
The migrants were taken to a quarantine ship off the west coast of Sicily.
They had been included in three rescue operations.
The number of people seeking protection from Africa is increasing
Many people continue to dare the dangerous crossing from the North African countries Tunisia and Libya to Europe in small boats.
According to official figures in 2020, a total of almost 32,550 people have arrived in Italy so far.
In 2019 there were almost 11,000 people in the same period.
In addition to Italy, the Canary Islands are now one of the main destinations for migrants.
Between January and October of this year, more than 11,000 people arrived in the Canary Islands after a dangerous escape across the sea, according to figures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
This was seven times more than in the same period last year.
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rai / dpa