[WATCH] 352 migrants disembark in Italy

Relatives and friends of four Eritreans who perished out at sea pay their last respects before the bodies are taken away 352 Eritreans saved by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) during the early hours of Tuesday morning disembarked at the port of Messina in Italy earlier today.

The migrants were registered and photographed by the Italian police, who awaited their arrival together with the Red Cross, Frontex officers, the Italian coastguard and La Guardia di Finanza, amongst others.

Visibly relieved at having touched dry land, the serene atmosphere experienced earlier in the day quickly changed when the last respects were paid to the four Eritrean men who passed away out at sea, before MOAS’s rescue mission.

Men and women alike sobbed and held onto each other as the coffins were transferred into waiting vehicles. An Italian priest accompanied a migrant – an Orthodox deacon – in blessing the coffins as prayers were sung out.