Italy rescues 110 migrants in two coastal operations

On 30 May, Italian authorities rescued 81 migrants off Lampedusa after three small vessels – two motorboats and a barge – were intercepted. The rescued people, who were from Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Ethiopia, were taken to the Favarolo landing point, then transferred to the Imbriacola hotspot where the centre’s population rose to 83. Later, 131 persons were moved from the hotspot to the mainland port of Porto Empedocle.

In a separate incident at the port of Crotone, 29 men – 26 Bangladeshi and 3 Sudanese – were brought ashore after spending about a week adrift in international waters following a departure from Libya. The rescue was carried out by the Romanian Border Police patrol vessel MAI 1106 under Frontex coordination and overseen by the Reggio Calabria Coast Guard. Medical checks revealed only a few cases of scabies, and all were transferred to the reception centre on Isola Capo Rizzuto.