German rescue ship, Humanity 1, has saved nearly 200 migrants in the Mediterranean sea, a Berlin-based NGO announced Saturday.
Since Thursday, the ship intercepted four migrant-laden boats, rescuing the occupants. SOS Humanity, the non-governmental organisation overseeing the ship’s operations, reported that some passengers were in a state of severe weakness or injury.
Italian authorities also played a role in coordinating these rescue operations, the NGO added. The Italian coastguards evacuated two individuals from the scene.
Striving against a migrant crisis
Following the rescue, Humanity 1 set a course for its assigned port, Ortona, situated in Italy’s central region within the Adriatic Sea. The ship carried a total of 197 survivors.
Ortona is more than 1,000 kilometers from Humanity 1’s operating area, adjacent to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa. This island has recently seen an influx of over 4,500 migrants, severely stretching its reception centre’s 400-person capacity.
In an effort to prevent Lampedusa from becoming an immigration hotspot, authorities are relocating as many people as possible to the mainland using ferries or police boats. The goal is to distribute these individuals into different camps.
Italy has long expressed its frustration over the lack of support from the European Union in managing the influx of migrants crossing the Mediterranean sea.
