ROME (AP) – A German humanitarian organisation’s maritime rescue ship was sailing on Friday to the Italian mainland to disembark 438 migrants who were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya.
Sea-Watch appealed for several days for permission to take the passengers to Italy, saying they were sweltering in temperatures that reached 40 degrees Celsius. Italian authorities gave the okay on Thursday.
“On one hand, there is relief, on the other, dismay,” Sea-Watch Italy tweeted. The migrants “face two more days of journey and further suffering inflicted on those who have suffered enough”.
The passengers on Sea-Watch 3 include unaccompanied minors, the organisation said. A pregnant woman and a child with burns accompanied by immediate family members were already evacuated to Italy.
A mix of spilled fuel on smugglers’ vessels and salty sea water sometimes causes burns.
Smugglers have launched multiple boats, generally in unseaworthy condition, toward Italy during a long spell of good weather.
Most Europe-bound migrants hope to reach family or find work, but many of them are denied asylum because they fled poverty and not persecution or war.
