ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2020) Italian sailors have rescued 84 migrants who were in a rubber boat in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, the Italian Coast Guard headquarters in Rome said on Wednesday.
According to the coast guard, the half-submerged boat with migrants was detected on Tuesday evening by a plane of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also known as Frontex, in the area of Libya's responsibility. However, the Libyan authorities refused to take over the coordination of the search and rescue operation, citing the lack of free-floating facilities.
In addition, nine nautical miles (10.4 miles) from the disaster site, there was a vessel sailing under the flag of Gibraltar and serving the oil platform of the French oil and gas company, Total. The Italian coast guard representatives addressed the captain of the vessel, but he refused to go to the indicated area to rescue the refugees. Neither the Gibraltar officials nor the Maltese authorities, whose area of responsibility was closest to the site of the emergency, responded to the Italians' request.
Within the context, the Italian coast guard took responsibility for coordinating the rescue operation and sent the ASSO 29 vessel, serving the platforms of the Italian oil and gas giant Eni, to help the people in distress. The operation took about half an hour and ended at 02:35 GMT on Wednesday with 84 people, including six women and two children, being saved, the authority said.
As of now, the vessel is heading for the Italian island of Lampedusa, where one of the temporary centers for migrants is located. However, the situation in this center is critical, as there are already about 1,000 refugees, while it is designed for only 95 people.
Over recent weeks, the flow of migrants from North African countries to the coast of Italy has increased sharply due to improved weather conditions. Rescue operations at sea and landing of refugees ashore take place every day.
