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70 migrants rescued off Libyan coast
70 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya in a joint Italo-Maltese search and rescue operation on Saturday afternoon.
4 November 2012, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
The migrants rescued at sea were ferried to Lampedusa. (File Photo)
70 persons were saved in a joint Italo-Maltese search and rescue operation organised by the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) on Saturday afternoon.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the AFM said 70 migrants were saved some 40 NM off the Libyan Coast.
These included 62 males and 8 female and the group is currently being ferried to the Island of Lampedusa. Three bodies were also found in the water during the operation and Italian naval assets are still in the area searching for any possible survivors.
The migrants were spotted on a dinghy located 140 NM from Lampedusa and 146 NM from Malta and following initial airborne surveillance the vessel was visibly in distress with the aft of the vessel partially underwater.
The Maritime Patrol Aircraft established contact with a merchant vessel, the M/V SEYMA, which was in the area and directed the ship to alter its' course and head towards the migrants' vessel to provide assistance.
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I call on UNHCR, the Jesuit Refugee Service, Amnesty International and the others to launch a public relations campaign among the illegal immigrants on the Libyan coast to warn them about the dangers of the sea crossing. That way they will help save lives.
