ITALY: Italian coastguard rescues north African migrants after their boat breaks down

Record ID: 348432

  • Title: ITALY: Italian coastguard rescues north African migrants after their boat breaks down
  • Date: 7th March 2011
  • Summary: LAMPEDUSA, ITALY (MARCH 6, 2011) (REUTERS) SUNSET COASTGUARD AND GUARDIA DI FINANZA (FINANCIAL AND BORDER POLICE) VESSELS ARRIVING VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS ONBOARD FINANCIAL POLICE VESSEL PEOPLE LOOKING ON FROM SHORE VARIOUS OF FINANCIAL POLICE VESSEL CARRYING MIGRANTS PASSING COASTGUARD VESSEL MIGRANTS WAVING FROM DECK OF VESSEL VESSEL CARRYING MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN HARB
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: International Relations,Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA3T9IRWQXII49O03UZQ1EWUFCS
  • Story Text: Italian coastguard and police help 80 male and one female north African migrants reach the southern island of Lampedusa after their boat breaks down.
    Eighty-one migrants from north Africa were rescued by Italian coastguard and financial police on Sunday (March 6) after their boat started letting in water on the way to the southern Sicilian island of Lampedusa.
    Rescue workers said they had intercepted the vessel after being alerted at 1230 local time (1130gmt) the boat had been at sea for 24 hours.
    The migrants, 80 men and one woman, were all believed to be Tunisian nationals, rescuers added.
    The woman and three male migrants were given hypothermia blankets onboard the Guardia di Finanza vessel while they waited to disembark and given medical checks.
    "No, as far as I know they did not get wet, many of them were very cold and some were given hypothermia blankets. They were also given drinking water and food immediately," a member of the rescue team said.
    After disembarking the police vessel, the migrants were escorted onto a coach and taken to a holding centre in the centre of the island.
    Nearly 7,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the downfall of the Tunisian regime on January 6.
    Italy is bracing for a potential mass exodus of migrants escaping political turmoil in North Africa after flows of illegal immigrants from Tunisia gathered pace. Waves of hundreds of migrants fleeing to Italy to escape instability have resumed in recent days after stormy weather that had discouraged boats in the past week cleared up.
    The coastguard said six other boats carrying some 70 migrants each had been sighted on Sunday (March 6) afternoon and could arrive on Lampedusa in the early hours of Monday (March 7).
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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