Palermo, Oct 13 (AFP) A migrant rescue ship in theMediterranean carried hundreds of children and unaccompaniedminors from over 15 countries to safety in Italy today.
The Aquarius, a boat operated by charity group SOSMediterranee along with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), brought606 people including 241 minors to Palermo after a series ofrescues at sea on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Nearly 180 of the youngsters were unaccompanied, thegroup said. Rescuers could be seen carrying the youngestcharges off the ship, including toddlers in pyjamas and aweek-old baby wrapped up tightly in a pink blanket.
"The many rescue operations carried out by Aquarius inrecent days over a very wide geographical area show that thehumanitarian crisis is still underway or even worsening in thecentral Mediterranean," SOS Mediterranee said.
Among the women pulled to safety from unseaworthydinghies, 11 were pregnant, two in their ninth month.
The migrants, who set sail from Libya for Italy, camefrom countries including Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria,Syria, Somalia and Yemen.
Numerous migrants told aid workers they had been victimsof sexual violence and torture in conflict-hit Libya, wherethey were held prisoner for months. (AFP)RB.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.