AITA MARI

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Latest news

33 migrants rescued in Syrian SAR zone

The 'Aita Mari' has rescued 33 people of Syrian origin on the morning of Nov 27, including two women and three unaccompanied minors, in the Mediterranean Sea in the Libyan SAR zone. According to the NGO Maritime Humanitarian Rescue (SMH), the operation has been marked by moments of tension and panic among the people on board, with a Libyan Coast Guard ship that approached dangerously to the boat. All the people were saved and were receiving medical attention, food and water then. The 'Aita Mari' was now heading to the assigned port of Salerno. two days from navigation, despite the fact that there are safe ports much closer.

53 rescued migrants disembarked in Catania

The 'Aita Mari' has docked in the port of Catania on Nov 20 and disembarked the 53 people rescued in the central Mediterranean, among them a group made up mostly of young people and minors. They had been adrift at sea for three days before being located . The disembarkation took place at around 4:00 p.m., giving priority to the medical care of two people in serious condition, who were examined by the Italian authorities to confirm the initial diagnoses made by the medical team of the NGO ship. The rescued people were coming from Eritrea, Ethiopia and South Sudan, countries marked by armed conflicts and prolonged humanitarian crises. According to testimonies collected by the crew of the 'Aita Mari', many of them endured long and dangerous journeys through the Sahara, facing extreme conditions, before being trapped in Libya, where they had been subjected to “torture, beatings and imprisonment” in detention centres run by “militias and corrupt networks”. After years of trying to cross the Mediterranean, some described situations in which they were required to pay large sums of money, under threat of death, to obtain their release. After their arrival in Catania, they have been placed under the guardianship of the Italian authorities, who will be responsible for initiating their asylum application processes. The 'Aita Mari'will remain in port for the next few days due to storm forecasts.

NGO ship rescued 53 boat people after three days adrift

The 'Aita Mari' has rescued 53 people on Nov 19, most of them young men and many of them minors, from a boat that had been adrift for three days in the Mediterranean Sea. The rescue took place after receiving an alert at 5.29 a.m., which was sent by AlrmPhone via email. The lack of response from the emergency coordination centres forced the 'Aita Mari' to proceed with the rescue. The ship was 15 nautical miles south of the boat at the time of receiving the alarm and headed for the area. The castaways, mostly from Eritrea, Ethiopia and South Sudan, showed signs of dehydration, dizziness, exhaustion and in some cases bronchitis due to prolonged exposure to the cold. The medical crew on board the 'Aita Mari' carries out the supervision tasks of the most serious cases. The port of disembarkation has been assigned to Catania with an ETA as of 5:00 p.m., and where the crew hoped to take shelter for the next few days due to the forecast of a strong storm in the area.