The Maritime Police rescued 50 migrants today, including 12 children, who were on three boats in the Mediterranean, off the Italian island of Pantelleria, said this police force, which since June has rescued 233 people in that situation.
The Maritime Police, which is on a mission in the Mediterranean as part of Operation ‘Themis’ of the European agency FRONTEX, received an alert this morning for the existence of two boats with migrants on board, explained the National Maritime Authority (AMN), in a statement.
“On arrival at the scene, the elements of the Maritime Police intercepted two boats with 23 men, two women and three children, who showed signs of dehydration and fatigue and without life jackets”, having been rescued to the port of Pantelleria, where they were waiting for the Italian authorities “, explained AMN.
In the afternoon, the Maritime Police received information of another boat with migrants off Pantelleria, launching an operation that resulted in 22 more people rescued, including three women and nine children, also transported to Pantelleria, he said.
Since June 2023, the Maritime Police have rescued 233 migrants, the same source added.
Since June 14, the Maritime Police has been integrated in Operation “THEMIS”, in what is its sixth participation in the mission that aims to “control and monitor the Italian and external maritime borders of the European Union, in the fight against cross-border crime”.
Since 2017, the year in which it began participating in Operation “THEMIS”, the Maritime Police has carried out more than 500 missions, AMN also detailed in the press release.
