ITALY-MIGRANTS/SICILY ARRIVAL Migrants rescued at sea arrive in Sicily

Record ID: 348847

  • Title: ITALY-MIGRANTS/SICILY ARRIVAL Migrants rescued at sea arrive in Sicily
  • Date: 14th February 2015
  • Summary: PORTO EMPEDOCLE, SICILY, ITALY (FEBRUARY 14, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COAST GUARD VESSEL WITH MIGRANTS ON BOARD WEARING PROTECTIVE SUITS APPROACHING PORT MEDICAL WORKERS WAITING ON PIER MIGRANTS ON DECK SHIP DOCKING MIGRANT WITH PLASTIC BAGS WRAPPED AROUND HIS FEET AND BANDAGED HAND VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS STANDING ON DECK VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS ON DECK AS VESSEL APPROACHES POR
  • Embargoed: 1st March 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6JU2PJSB68TJN90UIZZOTF5PW
  • Story Text: An Italian coast guard vessel on Saturday (February 14) brought some 275 migrants to safety, days after more than 300 people died trying to make the crossing to Europe.
    The migrants were part of the about 700 rescued from overcrowded boats near the Libyan coast on Friday (February 13) by two commercial ships and the Italian coast guard.
    In touching scenes in the port of Sicily's Porto Empedocle, some of the migrants could be seen kissing the ground as they disembarked the coast guard vessel.
    Two injured migrants were wheeled away on stretchers by medical workers.
    Rome's coastguard command centre organised rescue operations, which started early on Friday morning after it received a distress call by satellite phone, a coastguard spokesman said.
    More than 300 migrants died trying to reach Italy from North Africa in stormy seas this week. Italy shut down its Mare Nostrum search-and-rescue operation last October and it has been replaced by a more limited EU border control mission, Triton.
    The weather has improved since the beginning of the week, the coastguard said, opening the way for migrant boats to set off again from Libya, where the breakdown in law and order has allowed people-smugglers free rein.
    The U.N. refugee organisation UNHCR says at least 218,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean by boat last year and 3,500 lives were lost.
    This week's deaths have renewed focus on the European Union mission. Unlike its predecessor, Triton does not have a specific search-and-rescue mandate, and limits its border control operations to the waters near the Italian coast.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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