LAMPEDUSA, ITALY - JUNE 10: An Italian Customs Service (Guardia di Finanza) boat prepares to take illegal immigrants on board June 10, 2005, off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. Lampedusa Island, in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Tunisia, is one of the main gateways for illegal immigration from Africa into Europe.
In a huge operation in an area that has experienced a surge in migrant arrivals over the last year, the Italian Coast Guard was spotted on Tuesday, April 11, escorting two boats carrying 1,200 people in the Mediterranean Sea.
Rescuing Stranded Migrants
The volunteer organization Alarm Phone said that rescuers were rushing to aid 400 migrants stranded aboard a barge that had run out of gasoline. Earlier on Monday, April 10, the Coast Guard had already informed CNN that it was escorting a vessel with 800 migrants.
The Coast Guard tweeted that due to "prohibitive sea conditions," the Peluso ship, the Diciotti ship, and Coast Guard patrol boats were accompanying the two units, which had been "in difficulty since yesterday" with migrants on board. On Monday, two boats carrying a total of 1,200 people got into problems while transporting migrants.
Earlier, at 04:56 AM ET, Alarm Phone tweeted that it had talked to passengers at 10:56 AM local time, where the situation was described as "dramatic" due to the boat's leaks.
"They report several medical emergencies, water filling the vessel, and no fuel left. We have informed the authorities," Alarm Phone remarked.
According to Felix Weiss, a spokesman for Sea-Watch International, a German organization that operates search and rescue efforts in the central Mediterranean, an escort is "safer" than trying to save those on board in poor weather, so the coast guard is traveling alongside the boat as it makes its way to Italy.
Organizations have warned that the path between Italy and Malta is very risky, and the migrants have been stuck along it.
After leaving Tobruk, Libya, with 400 migrants on board, the boat almost capsized due to water in the hull, as reported by Alarm Phone. A kid, a pregnant lady, and a handicapped passenger were all listed by the service as needing medical assistance.
During the last two days, almost 1,700 migrants have reportedly landed on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, according to the Italian Coast Guard. Being the closest Italian island to Africa, Lampedusa has become a key transit point for those trying to reach the rest of the Europe Union (EU) countries.
Read Also: Italy Shipwreck Kills 59 in Migrant Disaster
In Search for Safe and Better Opportunities
In a quest for safety and better economic opportunities, tens of thousands of migrants annually undertake the perilous route. The necessity to rescue migrants on board sometimes leads to disagreements between governments about who should take them in, especially given that their boats are typically overloaded and unsuited for the voyage.
According to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, the number of migrants entering the country this year has already surpassed the tally for all of last year by over 28,000. This year has witnessed the biggest number of migrants entering Italy since 2017, as per data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Most of those who have arrived have traveled from Ivory Coast, Guinea, Bangladesh, Tunisia, or Pakistan.
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