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Malta navy rescues 75 migrants clinging to tuna pen
VALLETTA, May 30, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The Maltese navy said Thursday it had
rescued 75 migrants found clinging to a tuna pen while trying to make the
dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.
The rescue took place off the Libyan coast late Wednesday and the migrants
will be brought to Malta, the Maltese military said in a statement.
It said it had coordinated multiple joint rescue operations in conjunction
with the Italian coastguard and “in support of the Libyan coastguard”.
Malta has appealed to the EU for help in dealing with the flow of
migrants, which its much larger neighbour Italy has begun to turn away.
The island of 450,000 people is a common destination for migrants trying
to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa, and a hardline stance from
Italy has increased pressure on it.
More than 500 migrants have reached Malta this year, while 1,425 have made
it to Italy, which has a population 130 times larger.
International Organization for Migration figures show 24,687 migrants have
reached Europe so far this year, well below the record of around one million
in 2015, and 144,000 last year.
Among EU member states, Spain took in the most migrants last year, at
around 65,000.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1330 hrs