The humanitarian ship Sea-Eye 4 was waiting Wednesday evening off Palermo, Sicily, for authorization from the Italian authorities to disembark 415 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, said the NGO Sea Eye.
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“
The # SEAEYE4 has arrived off #Palerma.
We fear that the survivors will have to spend a fourth night on the ship.
The disembarkation has not yet been approved.
There must be no blockades!
Over 400 survivors need a safe haven!
», Wrote the German NGO on its Twitter account.
Among the 415 migrants rescued in recent days during six operations are 150 minors, according to the organization, which was refused to disembark in Malta.
This is the first mission for the Sea-Eye 4 which left the Rostock shipyard (northern Germany) in mid-April to head for the Mediterranean.
Italy is one of the main entry points for migrants from North Africa, mainly from Tunisia and Libya, where departures are up sharply compared to previous years. More than 13,000 people have arrived on the Italian coast since January, Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said on Wednesday before a visit to Tunis on Thursday with European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson. At least 685 migrants have died since January 1, 2021 in the Mediterranean, the vast majority of them on this central route considered the deadliest in the world, according to the UN.
