Authorization to evacuate two babies from the ship of the Spanish offshore NGO | Chronic

The Maltese authorities on Tuesday authorized the evacuation of two twin babies with health problems who are aboard the ship of the Spanish NGO Pro Activa Open Arms with 151 shipwrecked rescued in the central Mediterranean and waiting for it. authorization to disembark for 12 days. In a European port.

"A helicopter will pick up four people, the two babies and their families in the next few hours, and will be taken to Malta"he said Laura Lanuza, spokesman for the NGO.

"A helicopter will pick up four people in total, the two babies and their families, in the next few hours, and they will be taken to Malta."

Not long ago, the humanitarian organization informed social networks about the evacuation request. One of the twins aboard the ship has flu-like symptoms and breathing problems, while another suffers from a rash on the back, after spending 12 days at the hospital. outside in the middle of the sea.

"This is not the place for two babies"said the founder of the NGO, Oscar Camps, who said that the evacuation request was requested in anticipation of the beginning of a storm, with waves 2.2 meters high starting tomorrow afternoon.

Although the humanitarian vessel has requested permission from Malta and Italy, which have ports close to its location, to be able to penetrate its territorial waters in order to protect themselves from the storm, none of these states has accepted the demand.

On the contrary, Italy maintains even the threat of fines and confiscation of the ship, located near the island of Lampedusa, in the south of the country.

On Monday, the Maltese Coast Guard also evacuated eight wreckers for medical reasons, while rescuers sought asylum in Spain for the 31 miners of the 151 shipwrecked on board, in a context of increasing tension in the country. because of overcrowding and prolongation of waiting on the high seas.

To these people are added the 356 people rescued by the ship Ocean Viking, the NGOs SOS Mediterranean and Doctors Without Borders. In total, 507 people are now asking the European Union for a "safe port" to land without any European country having acceded to the order.

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Given this pbadivity, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called on European governments to allow unloading and provide humanitarian badistance to shipwrecked survivors from Open Arms and Ocean Viking ships, still at sea. .

"Many are survivors of terrible abuses in Libya and come from countries of origin of many refugees.They need humanitarian badistance and some have expressed their intention to seek international protection.", the Geneva-based organization said in a statement.