The Astral Vessel of the NGO Open Arms rescued 51 migrants in the Central Mediterranean, among them 18 minors and three newborn babies. In the meantime, the arrival of migrants in Sardinia continues.
A total of 51 persons from Guinea-Conakry, the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Mali and Burkina Faso were rescued on Sunday evening (August 10) in the Central Mediterranean by the vessel Astral of the NGO Open Arms.
The NGO shared the news on Monday, stating that when they were spotted, the migrants were on board a metal ship that broke down in the middle of high waves.
The vessel Astral immediately reached them and transferred them on board. Among them, there were 18 unaccompanied minors and 3 small children of the ages of approximately 6-7 months (one girl and two boys).
Among the adults, there were 19 men and 11 women. Two of the women were 4 and 5 months pregnant, stated the NGO Open Arms.
According to the report filed by the doctor on board the Astral, the persons all showed signs of dehydration, vertigo and hypothermia. Many of them also had burns and rashes in the inguinal area caused by the petrol mixed with seawater.
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'Migrant departures on makeshift boats from Tunisia are increasing'
The humanitarian workers of the NGO Open Arms denounced the fact that "once again a high number of departures on makeshift boats are registered from Tunisia, as was the case of the iron one on which 51 persons were travelling who were rescued last evening. Furthermore, the number of unaccompanied minors and very young babies is extremely high."
In the preceding 24 hours, the vessel Astral had already conducted the rescue of 40 persons who were travelling on a similar boat.
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New migrant arrivals in Sardinia while search for missing continues
In the meantime, migrant arrivals on the southern coast of Sardinia continue. In total, between Monday and Tuesday, 76 people arrived, most likely all of them from Algeria.
Along the beach of Porto Pino, in the municipality of Sant'Anna Arresi, a total of 13 migrants arrived, followed immediately after by another 15, among them two women and two children.
Two hours later, in Calasetta, another boat arrived with 10 people on board.
Slightly after midnight in Sant'Antioco, a small boat with 14 migrants reached the Sardinian coasts. The last boat arrival took place on Tuesday morning at dawn in Calaverde, in the Pula area: 23 men and one woman arrived. The migrants were transferred to the Monastir shelter center.
In the meantime, the Coast Guard and the Finance Guard, during patrol activity on the coasts, continue to look for the missing migrants who are believed to have shipwrecked last Friday while they were reaching the south-western coast of Sardinia.
At present, after the migrant was rescued last Saturday and the dead migrant was found on Sunday, no other people have been rescued.
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