The rescue ship of the NGO Doctors Without Borders, Geo Barents, recovered the bodies of 11 people who died at sea on Friday while trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
According to a message from MSF on
They went to the scene and started recovering the bodies of the victims.
The recovery operation lasted 9 hours.
"Yesterday, the Geo Barents, after carrying out two rescue operations of a small fiberglass boat and an inflatable boat with 109 people on board, recovered the bodies of eleven people at sea, also thanks to the support of the NGO Sea Watch, Sea Bird,” said Fulvia Conte, MSF rescue operations coordinator aboard the Geo Barents.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), between January 1 and June 1, 2024, 282 people died trying to cross the central Mediterranean.
In addition, 449 people were reported missing.
A total of 7,059 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya during the same period, according to the IOM.
“People will always try to find a safe life, not really a better life, but a safe life, and there should be legal avenues to escape absolutely inhumane situations,” Conte added.
Data from the Italian Interior Ministry shows that the number of migrants arriving in Italy is significantly decreasing compared to the same period last year.
As of Tuesday, 21,574 people had arrived in Italy by boat since the start of the year, compared to 51,628 during the same period in 2023.
It's heart-wrenching.
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