Between October 8 and 9, numerous rescue operations took place, and saved hundreds of migrants. The migrants were disembarked on the island of Lampedusa. They had all departed from Libya.
Between the night of October 8 and 9, two patrol boats of the Lampedusa Coast Guard rescued 64 persons, among them one minor. The migrants were found on the island of Lampione, approximately 10 nautical miles north-west of Lampedusa.
"The peculiarity of the area is its cliffs overlooking the sea, without any natural ports, and the presence of many reefs emerging from the sea, making all ship operations to approach the area extremely complex, especially at night," stated the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard also underscored the fact that "Despite the difficult operating conditions, its personnel successfully accomplished the rescue mission, guaranteeing the safety of all the persons present on the island".
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The rescued persons set sail from Libya
The migrants, who said they left Libya on October 8, were rescued around 3 am on the following day, and the operations concluded before the first light of dawn with the arrival and disembarking of the migrants in Lampedusa.
No wounded or particularly significant health conditions were registered among the migrants.
On the same day, 216 migrants disembarked in Lampedusa. They were on three different boats rescued off the island's coast. All three boats had set sail from Libya, specifically from Zouara, Tajura, and Abu Kammash. They were all taken, after an initial screening, to the hotspot of Contrada Imbriacola.
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The ship Nadir of the NGO RESQSHIP rescued 175 migrants
The ship Nadir of the NGO RESQSHIP rescued 175 persons in the Central Mediterranean on October 8, in two separate rescue missions, with the help of the merchant ship IVY 1.
In the first rescue operation, a total of 75 persons were rescued. They were traveling on an overcrowded wooden boat, and among them were six women and one little girl.
The second rescue operation instead saved 100 migrants, all males. They were on a boat in the same geographic area. In both cases, the boats had departed from Libya three days prior.
The ship Nadir, given the adverse weather conditions, with waves many meters high, asked for help for the rescue operations of the merchant ship IVY 1, "which was in nearby waters, already at the time of the first signaling of rescue," explained the NGO RESQSHIP.
"The ship responded to our alarm, offering the people in difficulty shelter from the wind and the waves, 2 meters high, while waiting for the arrival of our crew", he added. The Coast Guard then reached the merchant ship and disembarked the 175 persons in Lampedusa.
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