ROME, FEBRUARY 28 – On the evening of Saturday February 25, a Frontex aircraft sighted a unit sailing in the Ionian Sea, which “was sailing regularly, at 6 knots and in good buoyancy conditions, with only one person visible on the deck of the ship ”. The aircraft sent the report to the national contact point in charge of ‘law enforcement’ (the Guardia di Finanza, ed), informing, among others, for information, also the Operations Center of the Coast Guard in Rome”. The Gdf was then activated to intercept it. At about 4.30 the Coast Guard received some telephone reports from land relating to a boat in danger a few meters from the coast. The Carabinieri, previously alerted by the Gdf, arrived in the area and reported the shipwreck to the Coast Guard. “This – underlines the Coast Guard – is the first emergency information received by the Coast Guard concerning the vessel sighted by the Frontex aircraft”. The Coast Guard therefore specifies that “no telephone report has ever been received by any part of the Coast Guard from migrants, present on board the aforementioned boat, or from other subjects as happens in similar situations”. Following the reports received, the Sar device was immediately activated, under the coordination of the Reggio Calabria Coast Guard, with the dispatch of naval and air vehicles, men and land vehicles, in the indicated area. Search and rescue activities at sea continue without interruption also with the use of teams of divers and with the assistance of the Fire Brigade and the Police Forces. (HANDLE).
(HANDLE)
