4,060 Migrants Rescued

by Human Rights at Sea Intern, Giorgia Linardi, who is a member of the Sea-Watch crew and Sea-Watch legal advisor.

23 August 2015: 4,060 people were rescued yesterday in the Sicilian Channel travelling on 22 dinghies and boats. The Sea-Watch was involved in one of the search and rescue operations. The migrants rescued by our crew have been handed over to the Calabrese ship of Guardia di Finanza and disembarked in Augusta, Sicily. 

In the meantime, 980 people reached Lampedusa overnight. The Sea-Watch is constantly in touch with the operational centre of the Coast Guard and on its way to its second rescue, after having been involved in a search operation with the British Navy for the whole night.

In the meantime the pressure at the European Eastern borders is high: Macedonia opened the borders with Greece. The migrants are entering in Serbia and trying to reach Ungheria and, from there, Northern Europe. 

The migrants who are allowed to cross are selected randomly, with the effect of separating families. The fluxes include many children and lonely women. This morning the first group of Syrians took an old train from Macedonia to Serbia. Prices for tickets are doubled. 

What will happen in Serbia is not clear as the latter has not opened the borders yet. In any case, it is very important for the migrants to be able to take this train after weeks waiting at the border.

The main migration route at the moment is in the Eastern Mediterranean, through Turkey and Greece. Most of the migrants are Syrian refugees escaping the war. In the meantime in the Central Mediterranean, Sub-Saharan citizens cross the Sicilian Channel.

History is happening before our eyes. We are proud to have Sea-Watch actively involved in such a delicate moment.