You have to wonder with so many migrants trying to get out of their home countries when it will be when so few are left there. The sad part is that if there was no conflicts or if their economic conditions were better, they would nave have thought of leaving.
Almost 1,000 migrants arrive in Italy on packed cargo ship
magnusllewellin
Wednesday 31 December 2014
Almost 1,000 migrants have arrived in Italy on a cargo ship after apparently being abandoned by its crew in the Adriatic Sea.
The mainly Syrian migrants were bundled off the Blue Sky M when it arrived in Italy in the early hours of the morning after it was first spotted near the coast of Corfu.
Greece sent its navy and coastguard with a military helicopter to the scene on Tuesday in response to an alarm call about a possible incident on the Moldovan-flagged ship.
Italian officials were airlifted onto the Blue Sky M after it left Greek waters to check it could navigate safely. The coastguard said there were 970 people on board when the ship arrived at the small port city of Gallipoli.
Emergency workers hurried the migrants out of the freezing cold into a hospital tent and onto coaches when they arrived. After an erroneous Red Cross report of four deaths earlier, officials said no one was known to have died.
Greek state television reported on Tuesday that the alarm had been raised because armed men were on board, but the defence and shipping ministries did not confirm this.
The Red Cross said the ship, which reportedly set off from Turkey, had apparently been abandoned in the Strait of Otranto that separates Italy from Albania.
"The ship was abandoned by its crew in open water," Red Cross spokeswoman Mimma Antonagi said. "If (Italian officers) had not gone on board, it would have crashed into the coast."
Continue reading at:
World News Herald Scotland
Almost 1,000 migrants arrive in Italy on packed cargo ship
magnusllewellin
Wednesday 31 December 2014
Almost 1,000 migrants have arrived in Italy on a cargo ship after apparently being abandoned by its crew in the Adriatic Sea.
The mainly Syrian migrants were bundled off the Blue Sky M when it arrived in Italy in the early hours of the morning after it was first spotted near the coast of Corfu.
Greece sent its navy and coastguard with a military helicopter to the scene on Tuesday in response to an alarm call about a possible incident on the Moldovan-flagged ship.
Italian officials were airlifted onto the Blue Sky M after it left Greek waters to check it could navigate safely. The coastguard said there were 970 people on board when the ship arrived at the small port city of Gallipoli.
Emergency workers hurried the migrants out of the freezing cold into a hospital tent and onto coaches when they arrived. After an erroneous Red Cross report of four deaths earlier, officials said no one was known to have died.
Greek state television reported on Tuesday that the alarm had been raised because armed men were on board, but the defence and shipping ministries did not confirm this.
The Red Cross said the ship, which reportedly set off from Turkey, had apparently been abandoned in the Strait of Otranto that separates Italy from Albania.
"The ship was abandoned by its crew in open water," Red Cross spokeswoman Mimma Antonagi said. "If (Italian officers) had not gone on board, it would have crashed into the coast."
Continue reading at:
World News Herald Scotland
