Humanitarian rescue boats disembark more than 500 migrants in the last hours in Italy

MADRID, 11 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The rescue ships 'Humanity 1' and 'Geo Barents' have disembarked more than 500 migrants in Italy in the last few hours, after receiving a safe port in operations that have developed much faster than previous disembarkations after criticism from NGOs against the Italian government for being slow or sometimes refusal to grant permits.

The 'Humanity 1', from the Berlin association SOS Humanity, arrived on Sunday in the city of Bari, on the Adriatic Sea, where the 261 people on board were able to disembark.

For its part, the 'Geo Barents', from Doctors Without Borders, flying the Norwegian flag, docked in Salerno, south of Naples, with 248 migrants. The women, men and children who abandoned the two ships had been picked up by rubber dinghies and wooden boats in various operations off the Libyan coast.

"After this difficult experience, all they need now is proper care and protection. We wish them all the best for the rest of their journey," MSF said on its Twitter account.

For its part, the crew of the 'Humanity 1' has verified 93 minors on board, most of them not accompanied by adult relatives. Many people show signs of torture and some have declared that they have suffered sexual abuse. The organization mentioned Syria, Egypt, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast as countries of origin, according to statements collected by DPA.

The new Government of Italy, headed by the far-right Giorgia Meloni, had promised to be stricter with these permits, which recently resulted in a journey of another ship, the 'Ocean Viking', to France. At least 1,362 people have died this year in the central Mediterranean alone, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).