Seventy-five migrants threw themselves into the sea Thursday morning from the boat of the NGO Open Arms which had rescued them in an attempt to swim to the coast of Sicily, the NGO announced in a statement.
“While we were waiting for instructions on how to disembark in front of the port of Palermo, 75 people jumped into the water to try to swim to the coast. They are now all safe and sound after being rescued by the Italian coast guard, ”said Open Arms.
“188 people remain on board our ship, including women and adolescents as well as two children. We are waiting to know when and how we can disembark, ”the statement added.
The migrant relief NGO said it had rescued 276 people during its mission, during three separate rescue operations, including two in Maltese waters. “The people rescued are in extremely vulnerable conditions,” said the NGO, citing a group of people who “had been adrift for three days without food or water”.
According to the medical staff of the NGO Emergency on board, some presented “third degree burns, health problems and symptoms of post-traumatic stress due to the violence suffered in their countries of origin and transit”.
Open Arms denounces “Malta’s repeated refusal to give them a safe port to disembark and evacuate serious medical cases”, while “all the people we are helping are fleeing violence in their countries of origin and risking their lives at sea in looking for a better future for themselves and their families ”.