NOS News•
The Italian coastguard has been sent to the rescue of three boats with a total of more than a thousand migrants off the southern Italian coast. According to the Coast Guard, the rescue operation is “exceptionally complex” due to the large number of people.
Boats, an airplane and a military vessel are deployed. The migrants probably got into trouble due to the weather conditions. There is a strong wind, making the Mediterranean Sea very rough. The European border guard Frontex had warned the Italian authorities that the migrants on the boats could get into trouble.
More crossings
According to the president of the Southern Calabria region, a total of about 1,300 migrants are on board the three boats. 500 of them are on a boat near the port city of Crotone. The other boats drift further out to sea.
According to Italian media, the coastguard also took action earlier in the day for 500 migrants who were on a boat near the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.
Frontex says more people have been trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy in recent days. Every year, tens of thousands of migrants try to reach Europe via this route.
Migrantendrama
At least 73 migrants were killed off the coast of Calabria at the end of last month. Police ships had tried to intercept their wooden boat, but were unable to do so due to bad weather. The Coast Guard, which is better equipped for this, was not immediately called in.
Prime Minister Meloni responded on Thursday by announcing tougher prison sentences for people smugglers. She also wants to halt the number of migrants reaching the Italian coast by tackling illegal migration to Europe. Meloni imposed restrictions on aid organizations in a law, allowing them to deposit fewer migrants in Italy.
