Brussels, 04/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - The Italian coastguard has announced that it coordinated the rescue of 2,152 migrants in the Mediterranean on Sunday 3 May, bringing the total for the weekend to more than 5,800, with four other operations still ongoing, AFP reported on 3 May. The total for Saturday, when 3,690 migrants were rescued, is one of the highest ever in a single day.
During the last two days, which were “very busy” for the trans-Alpine maritime patrol teams, assistance was provided to 3,791 individuals on 12 April and to 2,850 on 13 April. Adding that no vessels had capsized, the Italian coastguard stated that eight migrants had been found dead in two different boats and two others had drowned trying to reach help.
The high-seas patrol boat of the French Navy, Commandant Birot, which set off early last week with medical and sanitary equipment to reinforce European surveillance operation Triton, gave help to three vessels and 219 passengers. Two of them are suspected of being smugglers, the French maritime prefecture of the Mediterranean explained. In addition to the French patrol boat, Saturday's operations mobilised four vessels of the Italian coastguard, two of the Italian Navy, two cargo boats, two vessels of the Italian customs police and two tugboats. The trans-Alpine frigate Bersagliere gave assistance to 778 people and the patrol boat Vega to 675 others.
All of the migrants rescued were brought to Italy. Emergency aid to these front-line countries is to be increased in the near future, as the Twenty-Eight decided at their extraordinary summit of 23 April, although the member states have at this stage rejected the idea of an emergency relocation mechanism to share out amongst the EU these migrants, who arrive on the shores of Italy in their thousands.
As regards operation Triton, the resources of which are to be tripled as agreed upon by the Twenty-Eight, the European Commission will present a draft amending budget to the European Parliament by mid May to make new funds available (around €120 million for 2015), Natasha Bertaud, spokesperson to Commissioner Avramopoulos, announced on Monday. The agency Frontex and the Italian authorities will continue their meetings to clarify the new operating plan of Triton, Bertaud added. The next meeting has been scheduled for 8 May. (Solenn Paulic)