The German NGO Sea-Watch announced on Saturday 25 December that it had rescued a total of more than 270 migrants in the central Mediterranean as part of three rescue operations carried out since Friday by its ship, the “
Sea-Watch 3
”.
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The Sea Watch 3 assisted two inflatable boats in distress overnight and early in the morning of Christmas Saturday, the NGO announced on its Twitter account.
There were around 100 and 80 people aboard the two overcrowded rubber dinghies that were rescued about 38 nautical miles from the Libyan coast, a spokesperson told AFP.
The Sea Watch crew are now caring for around 270 migrants in total, after an initial rescue on Friday morning of 93 migrants who were in international waters south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The crew of the Sea Watch 3 then launched an inflatable boat to evacuate the passengers from their wooden boat described as "
unfit for navigation
" by the NGO.
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The Sea Watch 3 began its "
Christmas operation
" Thursday evening
while throughout Europe "
the atmosphere is festive
" while "
people continue to flee across the Mediterranean
", according to another tweet.
Migrant boats, often in poor condition and liable to sink, frequently make their way to Lampedusa due to its proximity to the North African coast.
The Sea-Watch 3 has been sailing off the Libyan coast since November 2017 and actively searches for boats in distress.