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Greek Vessel Rescues 123 Migrants off Lampedusa

migrants at seaA Greek cargo ship rescued more than 120 migrants when the vessel transferring them illegally to Italy broke down off the coast of Lampedusa, outside Italy. Two people died.

The 7 meter vessel carrying the migrants was detected 145 nautical miles (about 270 km) southwest of Lampedusa late on Monday, February 17. The vessel had sent out an SOS signal with a satellite phone because its engine had broken down. According to the Coast Guard press office, after the signal many neighboring vessels were mobilized to locate and aid the ship.

The refugees were eventually rescued by the Greek cargo ship Rizopon, which transported them to the port of Augusta, in Sicily. According to the Italian Coast Guard, the migrants claimed to be Somalis, but this information has yet to be confirmed.

The coast guard, as he did in other recent cases, decided not to transfer the migrants to Lampedusa due to the extreme conditions revealed in December 2013, concerning refugee reception on the small Italian island.

Over the past weekend the Italian authorities rescued more than 1,000 people from various vessels off south Italy trying to reach Europe. In fact, during January 2014, about 2,156 migrants reached the Italian coasts compared to 217 migrants in January 2013. Moreover, according to immigration charities, over the past 20 years about 20,000 migrants have passed away at sea trying to enter Europe.

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