Nearly 400 migrants were rescued during the night of Tuesday 9 to Wednesday 10 November near the Italian coast while a humanitarian ship with more than 300 survivors on board, in search of a safe port since Sunday, received the authorization to land in Sicily.
According to a statement from the Italian Coast Guard, 396 people who were on board a silted fishing boat not far from the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, were rescued overnight.
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"
The worsening weather and sea conditions made the rescue operations quite complicated,
" the coast guard said in a statement.
Video footage showed the fishing boat tilted to its side amid loose waves, and the migrants being transferred aboard two tugs that assisted in the rescue operations.
Green light to dock in Sicily
In addition, the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking, managed by the NGO SOS Méditerranée and carrying 306 migrants that it rescued, has received the green light to dock in Sicily.
"
Indescribable relief aboard the Ocean Viking
", welcomed the association on Twitter.
The ship has received clearance to dock at the port of Augusta, on the east coast of Sicily.
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Previously, Claire Juchat, communications officer on board the ship, had appealed for help, stressing that some survivors had been at sea for more than a week, and that there were nine children among those rescued.
"
We have just passed through a storm with more than two meters of waves, it is raining, the bridge is wet, last night the survivors were soaked, frozen, we must be able to disembark as quickly as possible, it is a duty on our part States
”, underlined Claire Juchat.
The Ocean Viking had rescued the migrants in four different operations.
He had been looking for a port where he could dock since Sunday.
More than 57,000 migrants have landed in Italy since the start of the year, up from just over 30,000 during the same period in 2020, according to data from the Interior Ministry.