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233 migrants intercepted off Lampedusa's coast
Italian navy rescue boat laden migrants at risk of sinking
2 January 2014, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
The Italian navy has rescued 233 asylum seekers off the coast of Lampedusa after their boat was at risk of sinking.
In an effort to repeat another humanitarian tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea, the navy said the alarm was raised yesterday evening when the overcrowded boat was at risk of sinking in rough waters in the Mediterranean Sea.
The migrants, who claim to be from Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Pakistan, Zambia and Mali, included seven women.
The ten-metre boat was spotted about 80 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, authorities said.
"Given the rough seas and the boat's precarious state of buoyancy, the navy rescued the 233 migrants," the Italian navy said.
They were transferred on to the ship San Marco and will be taken to Augusta, in Sicily, later today.
Meanwhile, the Greek coast guard has rescued 85 migrants -- including 15 children and 20 women -- after their boat got into trouble in stormy weather in the southeastern Aegean Sea.
More than 300 African migrants died in October after their ship sank off Lampedusa while days later, another 34 people died when their boat capsized.
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Just imagine what;s it going to be like in Summer. Where is Malmstrom to take them to Sweden? As long as they are not all sent back they will keep on coming and turn Europe into Africa.
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Is it possible that all boats start sinking off Lempedusa? Human traffickers must be having a hayday!
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I have nothing about rescuing people at sea but these people are so sure that they will be saved and taken to a better place that they are willing to take the chance. Those that are picked up by the Italian Navy are the lucky ones because they know they will be automatically be taken to Mainland Europe which is their main destination. That is good for Malta. They know that if they get picked up by the AFM they will be brought to Malta and they will probably get stuck here with very little hope of reaching Mainland Europe very soon. Unless these illegal immigrants are turned around and sent back to where they came from, they will keep trying to reach Mainland Europe at any cost. The only time these crossings will be stopped is when these illegal immigrants start to flood the streets of Brussels and start invading the privacy of the EU Officials. But as one can see Brussels is out of reach for these illegal immigrants so the EU officials have nothing to worry about. For now they are very safe. That is one of the reasons that these illegal immigrants are kept here in Malta.
