They boats carrying some 160 migrants were rescued on Saturday April 3 in the Mediterranean after three days at sea, a humanitarian association announced. A third boat, which had been reported as being in a “critical” situation at the same time as the other two, has not yet been found, indicated this association, Alarm Phone, a structure of volunteers which alerts on cases of migrants in difficulty.
“We are happy to confirm that 2 of the 3 boats in distress were rescued and taken to Lampedusa after being unassisted for three days,” Alarm Phone tweeted. The two rescued boats were carrying around 160 migrants, but the fate of the third, which carried 110 others and which had been spotted southwest of Malta, was unknown, Alarm Phone said.
RESCUED TO ITALY! We are glad to confirm that 2 of the 3 boats in distress were rescued to #Lampedusa after THREE DAYS of non-assistance. We are happy they survived this terrible journey & abandonment at sea.
The fate of the ~110 people South-West of #Malta is still unclear.
— Alarm Phone (@alarm_phone) April 3, 2021
At the end of the day on Friday, Alarm Phone had reported the presence of three migrant boats that were in or near the maritime search and rescue areas of Italy and Malta. The boats had been spotted from the air by another aid organization, Sea-Watch, which called on two merchant ships sailing nearby to rescue the migrants.
300 migrants have perished since the start of the year, trying to cross the Mediterranean
On Saturday, Alarm Phone said the Maltese armed forces and the Italian coast guard had refused to assist the migrants or coordinate rescue operations from these boats with passing merchant ships. This Alarm Phone claim could not be independently confirmed. Neither the Maltese forces nor the Italian coast guard immediately responded to requests for information by phone and email.
Before two of the three ships were rescued, Alarm Phone said one of them, with around 60 people on board, started to take on the water, and around 100 migrants on board the ship. others had been without drinking water and food for two days.
More than 1,200 illegal migrants perished last year trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Since January, around 300 have died or been reported missing during these perilous crossings, according to the IOM.
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