Italian, Irish, German ships save over 650 migrants at sea

[rooster59]

Italian, Irish, German ships save over 650 migrants at sea

FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press


ROME (AP) — A flotilla of ships saved 668 migrants Saturday from smugglers' boats in distress in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, Italian authorities said — bringing the week's total of migrants plucked from the sea to a staggering 13,000 people.

The rescues by the Italian coast guard and navy ships, aided by Irish and German vessels and humanitarian groups, are the latest by a multinational patrol south of the Italian island of Sicily.

The Irish military said the vessel Le Roisin saved 123 migrants from a 12-meter-long (40-foot) rubber dinghy and recovered a male body. A German ship patrolling to intercept smugglers' boats also was involved in four separate rescue operations, the Italian coast guard said Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, with migrant shelters filling up in Sicily, the Italian navy vessel Vega headed toward Reggio Calabria, a southern Italian mainland port, bringing 135 survivors and 45 bodies from a rescue a day earlier. The Vega was due to dock on Sunday.

Other survivors who arrived Saturday in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo told authorities they had witnessed a fishing boat filled with" hundreds" of migrants sink on Thursday, a Save The Children spokeswoman, Giovanna Di Benedetto, told The Associated Press by telephone from Sicily.

According to survivors, two smugglers' fishing boats and a dinghy set sail Wednesday night from Libya's coast. Di Benedetto said the survivors were among 500 or so aboard the one fishing boat that didn't sink and the dinghy.

"All of this must be verified, of course," said Di Benedetto, but if the survivors' accounts bear out, as many as 400 people could have drowned, with only a very few of those on the vessel that sank able to reach the other boats.

Authorities say many migrant boats in the past few years apparently have sunk without a trace in the Mediterranean, with the dead never found. Often the only news about them comes when family members in Africa or Europe tell authorities that their loved ones never arrived after setting sail from Libya.

Under a European Union deal, tens of thousands of those rescued at sea and seeking asylum were supposed to be relocated to other EU nations from Italy and Greece, where most of the migrants have landed. But with resentment building in some European countries about taking in more migrants, the plan never really took off, and only a small percentage of those slated for relocation have actually been moved.

At the Vatican on Saturday, Pope Francis told several hundred children, among them many migrants, who came from southern Italy that migrants "aren't a danger but they are in danger."

The pontiff held a red life vest given to him by a volunteer. He told the children the vest was used by a Syrian girl who died while trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos.

"She's in heaven, she's watching us," Francis said.

Among those in the audience was a Nigerian youth who lost his parents in 2014 as the family tried to reach Italy by sea.

Francis has repeatedly expressed dismay that some European nations have refused to accept those fleeing poverty or war, and have even thrown up razor-wire fences and other barriers to thwart their arrivals.

In France, an Afghan migrant died after being hit by a truck near the coastal city of Calais.

Pas-de-Calais region Secretary-General Marc Del Grande said the 25-year-old was hit while he and about 50 other migrants were laying branches on the highway in an effort to slow traffic, hop on a truck and get to Britain.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-29

[i claudius]

Saved so they can come to the west , happy days , why not take them back?

[thai3]

I have given up caring, so unfortunately have our leaders

[Andrew65]

Why don't these ships just pull into Tripoli or Benghazi and pick these people up!! (they just as well be doing that!).

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed.

[marcofunny]

there is a reason why these people are still coming, the Austrian site oe24 reported that this illegal afghan migrant is getting almost 8,252 euros per month of tax payer s money, yet last month the people voted stubbornly again left when they had the chance to sort things out, Europe also must pays the price of ousting Qaddafi who signed an immigrants stopping treaty with EU-Italy and was doing very good job of protecting Europe from all immigrants and terrorists, the last hope for us are the British people if they just relieve us and vote YES for brexit to stop this mess from existing .

original sources and links :

an afghan migrant is getting 8,252 euros per month after arriving illegally on 2013

http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/chronik/Wirbel-um-8-252-Euro-Sozialhilfe-fuer-Familie/233657966

an 21 yrs old African migrant beat savagely to death a 54 old women after he tries to rape her.

http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/wien/4984328/Brunnenmarkt_Angriff-auf-Mahnwache-der-Identitaeren

UK says European migrants receive 10 percent of in-work welfare spend !!!

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-welfare-idUKKCN0VV241

[Thaiwine]

Gaddaffi was behind at least two civillian airline bombings killing 441 people, maybe other terrorist attacks too.

While Nato helped to destroy his army on the pretext of saving civilian lives, the revolution was already under way,

He had a rich country, if he had shared it's wealth with the population maybe he would still be there, loved by them.

[marcofunny]

Gaddaffi was behind at least two civillian airline bombings killing 441 people, maybe other terrorist attacks too.

While Nato helped to destroy his army on the pretext of saving civilian lives, the revolution was already under way,

He had a rich country, if he had shared it's wealth with the population maybe he would still be there, loved by them.

yeah but during his reign there were no ISIS and other terrorist groups, Libya was the richest country of Africa, take a look at Libya today are you happy with it ?, Saddam maybe a brutal dictator but Iraq was at peace too and the same goes for Assad.

75% of Libya s population supported Qadafi just a few minority who were sponsored by NATO, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the way you see Syria today.

[Thaiwine]

Gaddaffi was behind at least two civillian airline bombings killing 441 people, maybe other terrorist attacks too.

While Nato helped to destroy his army on the pretext of saving civilian lives, the revolution was already under way,

He had a rich country, if he had shared it's wealth with the population maybe he would still be there, loved by them.

yeah but during his reign there were no ISIS and other terrorist groups, Libya was the richest country of Africa, take a look at Libya today are you happy with it ?, Saddam maybe a brutal dictator but Iraq was at peace too and the same goes for Assad.

75% of Libya s population supported Qadafi just a few minority who were sponsored by NATO, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the way you see Syria today.

Yes Gaddaffi ran a tight ship with his spy network, I think you are right in that Libya now would still be a stable country were he still there. And I think we were wrong to go into Iraq making the mess there, just why we did I don't know, perhaps we never will know, for sure it wasn't about WMD. I can't help thinking that if these people ruled for the people instead of for themselves these countries would be better places now.

[Mosha]

Gaddaffi was behind at least two civillian airline bombings killing 441 people, maybe other terrorist attacks too.

While Nato helped to destroy his army on the pretext of saving civilian lives, the revolution was already under way,

He had a rich country, if he had shared it's wealth with the population maybe he would still be there, loved by them.

yeah but during his reign there were no ISIS and other terrorist groups, Libya was the richest country of Africa, take a look at Libya today are you happy with it ?, Saddam maybe a brutal dictator but Iraq was at peace too and the same goes for Assad.

75% of Libya s population supported Qadafi just a few minority who were sponsored by NATO, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the way you see Syria today.

Yes Gaddaffi ran a tight ship with his spy network, I think you are right in that Libya now would still be a stable country were he still there.

And I think we were wrong to go into Iraq making the mess there, just why we did I don't know, perhaps we never will know, for sure it wasn't about WMD.

I can't help thinking that if these people ruled for the people instead of for themselves these countries would be better places now.

BBC World this morning had Blair on. He's in total denial "We" did not create the situation in the ME today by invading Iraq.

Sent from my SMART_4G_Speedy_5inch using Tapatalk

[coma]

Gaddaffi was behind at least two civillian airline bombings killing 441 people, maybe other terrorist attacks too.

While Nato helped to destroy his army on the pretext of saving civilian lives, the revolution was already under way,

He had a rich country, if he had shared it's wealth with the population maybe he would still be there, loved by them.

yeah but during his reign there were no ISIS and other terrorist groups, Libya was the richest country of Africa, take a look at Libya today are you happy with it ?, Saddam maybe a brutal dictator but Iraq was at peace too and the same goes for Assad.

75% of Libya s population supported Qadafi just a few minority who were sponsored by NATO, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the way you see Syria today.

Yes Gaddaffi ran a tight ship with his spy network, I think you are right in that Libya now would still be a stable country were he still there. And I think we were wrong to go into Iraq making the mess there, just why we did I don't know, perhaps we never will know, for sure it wasn't about WMD. I can't help thinking that if these people ruled for the people instead of for themselves these countries would be better places now.

I've said it before. I will say it again. Countries like those you guys mention NEED to be ruled by an iron fist. The majority of people that live in these places are crazy,obsessive and aggressive by nature. But "goody two shoes" western democracies with their 'human rights for all' BS do more harm than good by intervening. If you are one of the unlucky ones born inside a country like Iraq,Syria,Afghan Libya etc etc. Then sorry but bad luck. It is a case of close the hatch or we will all be gone.

[Andrew65]

Gaddaffi was behind at least two civillian airline bombings killing 441 people, maybe other terrorist attacks too.

While Nato helped to destroy his army on the pretext of saving civilian lives, the revolution was already under way,

He had a rich country, if he had shared it's wealth with the population maybe he would still be there, loved by them.

Many in the UK (including a doctor, the father of one of the victims), think that Libya/Al-Magrahi/Ghadaffi had absolutely nothing to do with the Pan-Am/Lockerbie bombing.

Much more likely the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Syria, who had backed that organisation, had come "onside" in the first Gulf War, so it was the fault of the international "bogey-man", Ghadaffi/Libya.

[Thaiwine]

Gaddaffi was behind at least two civillian airline bombings killing 441 people, maybe other terrorist attacks too.

While Nato helped to destroy his army on the pretext of saving civilian lives, the revolution was already under way,

He had a rich country, if he had shared it's wealth with the population maybe he would still be there, loved by them.

Many in the UK (including a doctor, the father of one of the victims), think that Libya/Al-Magrahi/Ghadaffi had absolutely nothing to do with the Pan-Am/Lockerbie bombing.

Much more likely the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Syria, who had backed that organisation, had come "onside" in the first Gulf War, so it was the fault of the international "bogey-man", Ghadaffi/Libya.

Of course it's possible, who knows what to belive these days with all the subterfuge in the world by governments.

I'm sure they have been and still are playing behind the scenes feeding the public their propaganda.

A bit more from the media http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/7181993/300-IRA-terror-victims-set-for-compensation-from-Libya.html