- Title: Rescue ship carrying migrants reaches Italy after deadly week in Mediterranean
- Date: 20th November 2016
- Summary: MESSINA, SICILY, ITALY (NOVEMBER 20, 2016) (REUTERS) BOURBON ARGOS SHIP DOCKED IN MESSINA PORT NEXT TO EMERGENCY TENTS ON QUAYSIDE EMERGENCY WORKERS CARRYING MAN OFF SHIP AND ONTO CHAIR ON DOCKSIDE RESCUED MIGRANT ABDOULLAE DIALLO FROM SENEGAL, STANDING IN LINE ON QUAYSIDE AND TAKING HAT OFF (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF) COORDINATOR ON BOARD BOURBON ARGOS, MICHELE TELARO, SAYING: "We directly rescue a small plastic boat with 23 people on board, the sea was a bit rough but luckily the rescue was smooth. All the other people were rescued by other boats and transferred to us. Among them especially there were 27 people that were the only survivors of a big rubber boat where presumably there were around 130 people. They were rescued by the British Navy on Wednesday and then transferred to us. These people were clearly very shocked and traumatised." DIALLO WALKING TOWARDS SECURITY CHECK WHERE HE IS GIVEN A NUMBER, SEARCHED AND PHOTOGRAPHED VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY WORKERS WITH A GROUP OF SMALL CHILDREN EMERGENCY WORKERS COMFORTING SEATED MAN WHO IS WIPING HIS FACE WITH A TOWEL YOUNG MIGRANT MEN QUEUING ON QUAYSIDE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF) COORDINATOR ON BOARD BOURBON ARGOS, MICHELE TELARO, SAYING: "Now the winter is going on, the conditions become more and more difficult and unfortunately the departures do not stop. We already said but we continue to repeat that there… the only possibility to decrease mortality is just a legal solution and a legally safe way for people to access Europe, knowing that this year has been the deadliest year ever with more than 4,600 people that died in the sea trying to reach Europe." FUNERAL VEHICLE PARKED OUTSIDE MEDICAL TENT TWO RED CROSS WORKERS LOOKING INTO TENT EMERGENCY WORKERS CARRYING COFFIN OUT OF TENT AND PLACING IT IN HEARSE EMERGENCY WORKERS NEXT TO MEDICAL TENT AND FUNERAL VEHICLES EMERGENCY WORKERS CARRYING COFFIN AND PLACING IT IN HEARSE HEARSE WITH COFFIN INSIDE EMERGENCY TENTS AND FUNERAL CARS ON DOCKSIDE NEAR BOURBON ARGOS SHIP
- Embargoed: 5th December 2016 13:55
- Keywords: Migrants rescue Messina port Sicily bodies MSF
- Location: MESSINA, SICILY, ITALY
- City: MESSINA, SICILY, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001598Z6MF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A rescue ship carrying more than 200 migrants and eight bodies, docked in Sicily on Sunday (November 20) after a deadly week in the Mediterranean in which hundreds drowned trying to reach Europe from Libya.
Most of the 219 men, women and children on the rescue ship Bourbon Argos were West Africans, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) which operates the ship.
They included 27 men who were rescued by the British navy on Wednesday (November 16) and transferred to the Bourbon Argos, after the rubber boat they were on deflated. Six bodies were fished out of the water on Wednesday and 97 others who were on the dinghy are missing and feared dead.
In total, an estimated 365 migrants drowned last week in the Mediterranean, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday (November 19).
Survivors of the dinghy said that a smuggler towed them out to sea for two hours and then at gunpoint forced them to hand over the life jackets they had paid for, plus the dinghy's engine, and left them adrift.
The British Royal Navy's HMS Enterprise, patrolling as part of the EU's anti-smuggling mission Sophia, picked up the survivors clinging to what was left of the rubber boat about 55 nautical miles from Tripoli.
The death toll in the Mediterranean - the most dangerous border crossing on the planet for migrants - is estimated to be 4,636 this year, 1,000 more than in all of 2015, the IOM said on Friday.
More than 168,000 migrants have reached Italy by boat this year, exceeding 154,000 for the whole of 2015 and quickly approaching 2014's 170,000 record.
Italy has borne the brunt of new arrivals since the implementation in March of an agreement between the European Union and Turkey to curb the flow of migrants sailing for Greece. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None