Aid workers say a group of migrants who were left at sea for over a day during a bureaucratic standoff were so afraid of being turned over to the Libyan coast guard that they were about to jump into the water because they "prefer to die."
SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius rescue ship docked in Catania, Sicily, on Thursday with 105 migrants. They had been rescued by a British-flagged sailboat Sunday, but were kept at sea after Italy insisted Britain approve their transfer to the bigger, sturdier Aquarius. Britain argued it wasn't coordinating the rescue, and eventually, Italy approved the transfer.
Matthew Carter, SOS Mediterranee communications officer, said the rescue was evidence of "a growing trend of delays and confusion between the authorities and who is coordinating rescues and transfer operations."
Please click to read our informative text prepared pursuant to the Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 and to get information about the cookies used on our website in accordance with the relevant legislation.
6698 sayılı Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu uyarınca hazırlanmış aydınlatma metnimizi okumak ve sitemizde ilgili mevzuata uygun olarak kullanılan çerezlerle ilgili bilgi almak için lütfen tıklayınız.