Dienstag, 12. Juni 2012

Arrival by boat of 72 men in Pozzallo

Around 8 o'clock in the evening of 11th June, a 25- 30 metre iron boat was intercepted 11 miles south of Pozzallo. 
The vessel, thought to have arrived from Egypt, was accompanied to the port where the 72 men aboard were registered. The majority of the men were young, 15 of them minors and nearly all were reported to be in good health, with just 2 or 3 being taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. It is believed that all of the passengers are Egyptian nationals.
The vessel's arrival had been expected for several days as the boat had been spotted on course for Sicily by aircraft monitoring the waters. The operation was carried out by naval ships belonging to the Messina and Pozzallo coast guard.
It is presumed that those responsible for trafficking the migrants were aboard the ship as it would be near impossible to steer a boat of such size without a crew. An investigation is underway to identify those involved.
Giorgio Ruta and Andrea Scarfò