Around 8 am on the morning of May 30, the Geo Barents ship operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) arrived at the Bari port carrying 605 people that had been rescued in recent days at sea off the Sicilian coast.

Among the rescued migrants were 11 women and 151 minors, 111 unaccompanied by a relative and 20 of whom under 13 years old. Many of the latter are only a few months old.

The migrants are from Syria, Bangladesh, Palestine, Egypt, and Pakistan. There are 24 cases under clinical observation, 14 of which are considered the most urgent.

Mobilization for minors and those with health issues

In addition to six ambulances and medical personnel who will work in shifts at the port throughout the day, eight beds have been made available for the minors in the paediatric section of the San Paolo hospital in Bari and in the Altamura, Corato and Monopoli hospitals.

The Bari polyclinic has made healthcare assistance available for the minors, who were the first to be disembarked from the ship alongside those in need of medical treatment.

"My children lost their childhood. I was terrified for their safety, and I am so grateful we are here. I hope they will have access to good things in Europe and have a more normal childhood," Abia, 30 years old, from Syria told MSF.

Migrants tortured in front of their children, reports MSF

The migrants that arrived in Bari had "departed from Libya on a fishing boat and remained at sea for four days. They recounted to us of a very dangerous and dramatic journey in which they ran out of food and water and were left without being rescued for a long time," said Fulvia Conte, rescue chief of the Geo Barents ship.

"They spoke to us about atrocious suffering they experienced in Libya. Some had been tortured in front of their children," she continued.

"The children are relieved since they are finally in a safe place alongside their families. They will however need both medical and psychological treatment since they witnessed and were victims of dramatic situations. Most of the youngest ones, however, are well at least from a physical point of view," she underscored, stressing that "some of them have relatives in Europe, while others left without a precise destination in order to flee places that are in any case worse than the sea."

Conte described the difficulties involved in rescue operations, "especially due to the very high number of people to be rescued.We operate with two dinghies that can carry up to eight people -- and there were over 600 people to be rescued. Fortunately, the sea was not too rough and the Coast Guard coordinated the operations. The rescue took around three hours."