ROME – The humanitarian ship Open Arms yesterday reached the coast of the Italian island of Sicily and transferred 255 migrants to authorities, tweeted the Spanish civil group.
A total of 184 adults and 71 unaccompanied minors from 20 African nations were taken aboard two Italian boats, where they will undergo quarantine to ensure they are not carrying the coronavirus.
Open Arms rescued them from boats in distress on Tuesday and Wednesday.
At least five other migrants died after an overcrowded rubber dinghy overturned off the coast of Libya, according to the NGO.
A 6-month-old baby also died, despite the efforts of the medical team on board Open Arms.
There has been a marked rise this year in the number of migrants seeking to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats, most of which embark from Libya or Tunisia.
Warm weather over the past week has encouraged more migrants fleeing war and poverty to make the perilous trip across the Mediterranean, but about 100 people drowned on Thursday alone. – AFP, November 15, 2020
