Lampedusa: the massacre of 29 migrants frozen to death, and ‘controversy – AGI – Agenzia Journalistic Italy

Lampedusa: the massacre of 29 migrants frozen to death, and 'controversy – AGI – Agenzia Journalistic Italy

February 9, 2015 23:40

(AGI) – Palermo, February 9 – A new massacre in the Sicilian Channel. Are 29 immigrants killed by the cold after being rescued last night off the coast of Libya. The cause of the deaths and ‘hypothermia, sources confirm health of Lampedusa, where refugees have been conducted, the living and the dead. The prosecutor in Agrigento has opened an investigation. Gia ‘when the boat had been reached, seven of the 105 passengers had died from hypothermia and the bodies were loaded onto motovette Coast Guard. Another 22 are then died during transfer to Lampedusa.

The emergency vehicles have had to deal with the stormy sea, with waves 8:00 to 9:00 meters and the strong cold wind, and therefore proceed ‘at speed’ reduced. The mayor Giusi Nicolini has prepared the locals where to place the bodies, providing for the use of the old airport. “With Triton – said Nicolini – we are back to the situation prior to the massacre of 3 October 2013. So ‘you can not’ continue. We were left alone once again from Europe. It ‘a shame.” “Horror off Lampedusa. People died not in a shipwreck, but the cold.

These are the consequences after the Mare Nostrum”, wrote on Twitter the House speaker Laura Boldrini. “More blood on the consciences of the dirty ‘fake good’. From tomorrow in Strasbourg ask ‘Junker to suspend Triton, operation and unnecessary death. So’ and as’ harmful Interior Minister Angelino Alfano Italian which is just one thing to do: resign, “said for his part the leader of the League Matteo Salvini. Explains Pietro Bartolo, medical director of Lampedusa: “The 29 victims are young men, one hundred percent died from hypothermia. Travel companions, many in poor conditions for cold exposure, were performed in the hospital, the other in the center reception, some in helicopter rescue, “fifteen,” were transported to hospitals in Sicily. “

I am shocked by this latest massacre, this new nightmare with Mare Nostrum perhaps could have been avoided. I speak as a doctor and now unfortunately experienced these tragedies: not ‘this is the right system to save lives. Not ‘can you go to retrieve migrant 100-120 miles from Lampedusa and then take them to Sicily in extreme weather conditions. Mare Nostrum allowed the Navy ships to reach these desperate, pick them up, put them away and ristorarli. Now this’ more ‘difficult’. Lampedusa, presses Raffaela Milano, Italy-Europe program director of Save the Children, “now welcomes back the dead bodies. The termination of the operation Mare Nostrum puts at risk all extremes, and in particular those who are ‘more’ vulnerable, such as women, children and young adolescents who are a constant presence in the landings. “

According to the estimates of Save the Children, about 3,709 migrants landed in Italy since the beginning of yesterday, 195 were women and 390 children, of which 149 241 accompanied and unaccompanied. “We demand that Italy and the ‘Europe, concluded Milan- ensure the strengthening of the system of rescue at sea in order to prevent further tragedies like this.
Triton,’ as is ‘conceived, can not’ and must not be the only response of ‘Italy and Europe for thousands of children, teens and families forced to flee in order to survive. “

The distress call had come yesterday afternoon at the National Centre for rescue of the Coast Guard in Rome.
After locating the satellite phone as she left the request for aid, have been diverted to the boat in trouble ‘merchant ships “Bourbon / Argos” and “Saint Rock” which sailed in the area, and at the same time to set sail Lampedusa patrol boats CP 302 and CP 305 that have embarked immigrants and corpses. But during the return trip hypothermia killed other migrants exposed to bad weather conditions, all young men.