Survivors of the latest tragedy land in Augusta, among them 24 casualties and 100 missing

When I reach the pier at 2 pm, in this hot, windy day, Augusta’s commercial port is in turmoil. The “Fiorillo”, a Coast Guard vessel, is full to the brim with migrants: they have been docked for over two hours, but disembarkation operations have not yet begun. I notice a group of people standing there, waiting: doctors from the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders, Civil Protection operators, representatives of the IOM, UNHCR, and Save the Children for the Praesidium, Police, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza. Since August 1st , there are also representatives of Frontex, who interview the shipwreck survivors, and discuss with the authorities; yet they avoid at any cost giving out information on their reason of being there, and on their work.

Vendicari, Augusta, Pozzallo: A new series of arrivals and landings

A continuous series of arrivals has determined the hours between the night of the 21st and the morning of August 22. According to the Deputy Commissioner Carlo Parini’s statement  which he has made ​​on behalf of the interdepartmental troop group for illegal immigration to the Prosecution of Syracuse, a blue sailing ship of about 10 meters in length stranded in the nature reserve of the small island Vendicari on Thursday night at 10 o’clock in the evening. Oddly enough, it is said that the ship left from Turkey. It was not intercepted by the ships of the "Mare Nostrum" operation as they were already busy with other utility operations.