There is little hope for 57 missing since a sailboat crashed south of the Greek island of Euboea on Tuesday morning. The boat leaked and sank in a severe storm with 68 people on board. Eleven people were rescued by the end of the evening. Even after the rescue, the ordeal is not over for many refugees: Currently, nearly a thousand migrants are still waiting aboard three rescue ships in the central Mediterranean for a landing port.
The rescue operation at Euboea was still underway on Wednesday, even as hopes faded. The wreckage has not yet been found. There would have been many women and children on board. According to survivors, the sailboat left Izmir in Turkey. None of the passengers were fitted with a life jacket. The migrants are people from Afghanistan, Egypt and Iran.
At another shipwreck off the island of Samos, seven were still missing on Wednesday. On Tuesday, four people were rescued in the hours after the accident.
Flu spreads to save ship
The situation is also difficult for those people who have actually already been saved. After ten days at sea and eleven unanswered landing requests from authorities in Italy and Malta, the “Humanity 1” of the German aid organization “SOS Humanity” is still pushing for a safe haven for 179 rescued people in the central Mediterranean. In addition, a flu infection is spreading on board, according to the NGO.
In addition to the “Humanity 1”, the “Ocean Viking” of SOS Méditerranée and the “Geo Barents” of Médecins Sans Frontières are also waiting at a port assigned to land the boat migrants. In recent days, just over 234 people have been rescued on the “Ocean Viking” and 572 on the “Geo Barents” The volunteers have rescued them in several missions over the past few days.
1,300 refugees in Lampedusa
The situation on the island of Lampedusa is also challenging. 1,300 migrants are in the local hotspot. On Wednesday, 190 refugees would have to leave the island for Sicily. Since early 2022, 85,041 migrants have arrived in southern Italy after sea voyages across the Mediterranean, the interior ministry in Rome said. In the same period of 2021 there were 53,426 people, in the same months of 2020 there were 27,203 people.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
