Rescuing migrants in the Strait of Sicily: 80,000 hours worked during the first seven months of 2015

08/31/2015. From 1 January to 31 July of this year, 81,408 hours have been spent at sea with the dedication of those conscious of their duty to help their fellow creatures. 124 men and women have worked shifts in all weather conditions, facing miles and miles of sea day and night, to assist those who have faced a much more difficult journey. 29,889 migrants have been given first aid and taken to safety on Italian search and rescue vessels.

Mauro Casinghini, national manager of the Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps (CISOM), is firmly convinced that the concept of “Fortress Europe” must be turned into a Europe of integration, a source of human wealth.

“The presence of ships flying the flags of European countries gives us the hope that positions will change with regards to the migratory flows from Africa. But much more must be done to promote a real integration and the interventions to contain these flows. Too many deaths are continuing to populate the Mediterranean, now the largest common grave in our planet”.

Read the article on the Order Of Malta website