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Western Mediterranean: A Sea-Watch 3 rubber dinghy brings migrants on board
Photo:
DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI / REUTERS
The German rescue ship "Sea-Watch 3" has taken dozens of people on board during several missions in the past few days.
Now the crew is allowed to dock in Italy.
The German sea rescue organization Sea-Watch wrote on Twitter that the ship is on its way to Trapani in Sicily.
The "Sea-Watch 3" had rescued 257 people from the Mediterranean since last weekend.
Since then, the organization has appealed to the governments of Italy and Malta to allow the ship to dock.
The situation of the people on board was "critical," tweeted Sea-Watch.
Many people showed symptoms of dehydration and injuries after a week at sea.
There are also more than 70 minors on the ship.
Trapani has been assigned to the sea rescuers by the Italian authorities, the organization writes on Twitter.
"Our 257 rescued guests are relieved and incredibly happy to be able to go ashore in a safe place soon!"
During several missions in the Mediterranean, the "Sea-Watch 3" and the ship of the European organization SOS Méditerranée, the "Ocean Viking", saved more than 700 people over the weekend.
According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 1,146 migrants have died in the dangerous crossing over the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year.
According to official figures, there were more than 1200 fatalities last year.
However, experts assume a high number of unreported cases.
SOS Méditerranée claims to have saved more than 30,000 people since February 2016.
asc / AFP