The rescue ship "Alan Kurdi" of the Regensburg club "Sea-Eye" waits further in the waters off Malta for a landing permit. "We call on the Government of Malta to put an end to this unworthy condition," said Sea-Eye spokesman Gorden Isler of the German Press Agency.
The rescue ship had stolen 13 people from an overloaded wooden boat on 31 August, including eight minors. The Maltese army has now taken five of the rescued for medical reasons from the "Alan Kurdi" and landed, including a 17-year-old, who is said to have made a suicide attempt. Two more evacuees suffered from severe anxiety attacks.
But even the eight remaining on board refugees, according to "Sea-Eye" is bad. The migrants showed symptoms of stress and severe mental stress. "Some have stopped eating days ago, others are still suffering from prolonged seasickness," says an appeal to the Maltese authorities. "We urge you to remove eight people from the ship to ensure the necessary medical and psychological treatment."
Italy and Malta have repeatedly denied rescue vessels access to their ports in recent months. Only last week, the ship had "Eleonore" created after a week-long blockade on the Mediterranean Sea in Sicily. The situation on board was considered sensitive for days. The registered as a private motor yacht boat was much too small for the many rescued on board. On the night of Monday, a thunderstorm was added. The German captain Claus-Peter Reisch then called out the state of emergency and drove despite prohibition of the Italian government to Sicily.