The fate of dozens of migrants, who were aboard a missing boat off the coast of Malta, sparked serious concern on Sunday 12 April from international organizations and NGOs.
The European border control agency Frontex has reported to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that one of its planes “Would take off [lundi] morning to search » this boat. Frontex said in a statement that it was one of the four boats it spotted on Friday and Saturday. The agency said it had informed the authorities concerned, Italian, Maltese, Libyan and Tunisian, about them. When contacted by the AFP, the Maltese authorities and the Italian coast guard did not react.
“All the authorities know, but no steps have been taken to rescue them. We let them die “, in a tweet, denounced the German NGO Sea-Watch International, which had previously announced that one of the four boats had “Capsized”. The NGO sounded the alarm on Saturday on the perilous situation of these inflatable boats where, according to it, had embarked in all 260 migrants. “Europe has abandoned them: to die at Easter. Again “, again accused Sea-Watch.
Dreaded “dozens of dead”
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and the International Office for Migration (IOM) have expressed concern. “We are very worried”, “But we have no confirmation [d’un naufrage] from the authorities “Carlotta Sami, UNHCR spokesperson in Italy, told AFP. “The current crisis” coronavirus “Cannot make rescue of the shipwrecked less imperative”, she added.
For his part, for the IOM, Flavio Di Giacomo, explained to the AFP that“In the absence of boats present in the area, it is very difficult at the moment to confirm that there has been a shipwreck and the number of victims”.
“The information that has circulated is very worrying. And unfortunately, from experience, we consider it probable that there have always been shipwrecks at sea of which we are not aware. “
In a statement, another German NGO, United4Rescue assured that the boat “Now not found”, “Had called for help by phone”. “We have to reckon with dozens of deaths”, feared Joachim Lenz, spokesperson for United4Rescue.
According to IOM Flavio Di Giacomo, “The estimate of the number of [migrants] dead in the Mediterranean is unfortunately always a default estimate “. “From the beginning of the year to April 8, we recorded 140 deaths in the central Mediterranean, 241 across the Mediterranean”, he said.
Upcoming structures in Italy
In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Malta and Italy closed their ports to migrants. This decision was denounced by the associations. Maltese authorities, however, rescued a boat on Friday with 67 migrants, who were placed in quarantine.
Sunday, a hundred migrants landed in Pozzallo, at the southern tip of Sicily, according to Italian media. One of the four boats spotted by Frontex docked there on Sunday morning, the agency said.
In the context of a health crisis, the head of Italian civil protection Angelo Borrelli explained that structures were going to be put in place, “On land or on boats”, in order to place ” in quarantine “ migrants. Once this is done, they “Will follow the usual procedures”, he added. This new procedure will be implemented for the first time for the 156 people currently on board the humanitarian ship Alan Kurdi, which has been cruising for several days off the coast of Italy.
While the heyday is expected to increase the number of migrants trying to reach Italy from Libya, the leader of the Italian far right, Matteo Salvini, denounced on Facebook the establishment of such centers: “The Italians are locked up at home and the illegals free to disembark. “
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