More than 5 500 migrants have been rescued near the Libyan coast since Thursday, 30 April. Some 1 200 lives were saved with the direct participation of vessels and aircraft taking part in the Frontex-coordinated Triton operation, including newly deployed assets from EU Member States.
“I am proud to say that all of the vessels participating in Triton took an active part in the rescue operations over the last several days, helping to save thousands of lives. These already included assets contributed by Member States following last month’s extraordinary European Council meeting,” said Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.
“We are integrating the new vessels into our operation and are working out details with the Member States who pledged more assets for Triton. We will see new vessels joining Triton in the coming weeks,” Leggeri added.
Following the rescue operations that involved more than 30 migrant boats, 2 500 migrants were brought to Italy and 3 000 additional migrants were on their way there. Unfortunately, rescuers also recovered bodies of ten dead migrants.
Assisting in the rescue operations over the weekend were 12 vessels and three aircraft taking part in the Triton operation.
Excluding the most recent incidents, 24,000 migrant lives have been saved in the Mediterranean since the start of the year, with about a third rescued with the help of Frontex-funded vessels.