A file photo shows migrants look at the Italian shoreline from aboard the Ocean Viking as it approaches the Sicilian port of Messina, southern Italy, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP)

Rescue vessel with hundreds of migrants on board urges EU to find it a port

Brussels

Follow Followed Unfollow

Reuters

Published: 06 July ,2021: 05:16 PM GST Updated: 06 July ,2021: 06:03 PM GST

A charity group asked the European Union on Tuesday to find a port where it can dock to disembark hundreds of migrants it has rescued in the central Mediterranean over recent days.

Some 572 people, including 183 minors, are currently onboard the Ocean Viking vessel, the SOS Mediterranee organization said after it picked them up in six operations in Maltese and Libyan search and rescue areas.

The group said maritime authorities had not helped in the operations and urged the European Union to intervene.

For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

“We are calling upon the EU to at least coordinate the disembarkation of the 572 survivors currently aboard our ship,” it said in a statement.

PRESS RELEASE

572 people rescued by #OceanViking amid continued absence of coordination by maritime authorities.

"We are now calling upon the EU to coordinate for their urgent disembarkation in a Place of Safety", Luisa Albera, SAR Coordinator. https://t.co/9SR1ABH3IE
— SOS MEDITERRANEE (@SOSMedIntl) July 6, 2021

The statement did not give details of where the vessel was, but the marinetraffic.com website gave its position as between Malta and Sicily.

Migrant boat departures from north Africa towards Europe have picked up in 2021 after a decline in the previous few years.

Scores of migrants have died in recent days following shipwrecks as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy, one of the main routes into Europe.

At least 21 migrants found dead after boat sinks off Tunisia

EU considers $4.18 billion migrant funding for Turkey: Diplomats

Get the latest stories from AlArabiya on Google News