Nearly 400 migrants were rescued near the Italian coast during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. A humanitarian ship with more than 300 survivors on board, looking for a safe harbour since Sunday, was then again allowed to dock in Sicily.
According to a statement from the Italian coast guard, 396 people on board a fishing boat were rescued last night, not far from the Sicilian port of Pozzalo. “Bad weather and sea conditions made the rescue operation quite complicated,” the Coast Guard said.
Video footage shows the fishing boat tipping sideways amid loose waves. It also shows how migrants are transferred on board two tugboats of the emergency services.
The humanitarian ship Ocean Viking, with 306 migrants on board, has now been given the green light to dock in Sicily, in the port of Augusta. The ship had rescued migrants during several operations but has been looking for a place to dock since Sunday.