According to the information provided by officials on Thursday, a US warship has rescued 128 African migrants from an inflatable raft that was threatening to turn over in rough seas in the Mediterranean, after a request from Malta.
The USS San Antonio, which is equipped with a special transport dock helpful in rescue operations, was scrambled on Wednesday after a Maltese military aircraft detected the dinghy.
US Navy representative in Italy commented:
“We successfully transferred 128 men between the ages of 20 and 30 from an inflatable raft on the San Antonio. The raft was being rocked by winds and seas and we had expected that overnight the seas would increase
"If they were to be left out to sea they would probably be in the water right now,” he said.
The official also added that the people had been provided with food, water, medical care and shelter.
The Maltese military said the migrants were mostly Gambian even though they had earlier said they were from Somalia.
Later they were transferred onto patrol boats and taken to Malta.
The others were from Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
Italy this week launched a stepped-up navy patrol operation in the Mediterranean to scare off people smugglers and put pressure on Europe for further assistance in the course of a growing influx of refugees.
More than 400 asylum seekers have tragically died this month in the Mediterranean.
Source: Vanguard
