Sea-Watch: Rescued another 180 people in the Mediterranean

Sea-Watch volunteers rescued about 180 migrants in the Mediterranean on Friday night, bringing the number of people aboard its Sea-Watch 3 to 270, the Berlin-based NGO said Saturday.

The boat arrived in the business zone only on Thursday. Hours later, he rescued a first group of migrants at risk in the waters south of the small Italian island of Lampedusa.

The boats on which migrants board – which are often anything but navigable – are often headed to Lampedusa due to the proximity of the small island to the coast of North Africa.

According to the figures of the Italian government, the arrivals of migrants in the country by sea have increased by 47% in 2021 on an annual basis.

The NGO search and rescue operations carried out by non-governmental organizations in the Mediterranean are politically controversial: their critics argue that in practice they help traffickers.

NGOs argue that they comply with international law and that the European Union does not protect desperately desperate people in search of a better life.

According to the UN, from 2014 until today, 23,000 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe.

Source: AMPE