After almost 40 hours of navigation at maximum speed and with adverse weather conditions, very strong winds and three-metre high waves, we arrived in Bari. The crossing was exhausting”. Thus the crew of the ship Humanity1 in a tweet shortly after the landing in the port of Bari.
The NGO ship arrived in the port of Bari which was assigned to it by the government to disembark the 261 migrants it has rescued at sea in recent days. The migrants come from 22 nations, mainly Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Syria. Also on board were 23 children and three infants. The health care operations of the migrants who arrived in Bari on board the ship ‘Humanity1’ ended in the evening. At the Policlinico di Bari – communicates the health company – “four adults were hospitalized while at the Giovanni XXIII pediatric hospital two unaccompanied sisters aged 11 and 15 who were severely dehydrated and anemic, then a 15-year-old boy with scabies , a two-year-old boy with severe bronchitis, another of the same age with some wounds and other problems. The latter two were hospitalized with their mothers”. “I want to thank the health management and all the operators who have worked tirelessly in these two days of humanitarian assistance”, explains the general director of the Bari Polyclinic, Giovanni Migliore: “There has been a great coordination work of the operations center of 118, of the management that prepared the emergency plan and of the doctors and first aid operators who have prepared everything to better face the emergency”. “In particular – he concludes – thanks go to the doctors, nurses and operators of the pediatric hospital who, since this morning, first on the quay and then in the emergency room, have shown not only great professionalism, in resolving the visits of the many minors on board in a few hours of the ship, but also great humanity, guaranteeing warmth and welcome to the little refugees who arrived in Bari”.
The signs of torture
On board were people with obvious signs of torture. One of the three pregnant women was allegedly raped seven times. Another woman had a piece of her ear amputated, while another has signs of violence on her breast. This is what is learned on the spot from local health authority sources who spoke to the crew.
In total there are 40 women, 93 minors, 67 of whom are unaccompanied; 23 children under 14, three infants. Many of the migrants on board come from Cameroon, Egypt, Syria, Ivory Coast.
Migrants, Piantedosi: “No turning back. We have opened the ports due to bad weather”. But the NGO ships for the heavy seas won’t be able to arrive until tomorrow
by Alessandra Ziniti
Arm wrestling
After a long rebuke, the green light from the Interior Ministry had arrived yesterday, despite the firm line decided by the government. “The approaching bad weather and the sea conditions would soon have exposed the people on board to risks – reconstructs the Republic – and the NGOs would have drawn a pretext to declare a state of emergency on board and would thus have entered the ports of Sicily , whose reception centers are already congested with presences, while remaining close to their operational scenarios”.
The NGO: “Assigning a port is a duty, not a favour”
“We want to remind the authorities that assigning safe harbors to save themselves is not a kind action towards us, but a duty of the authorities and a right of the people because according to the law, rescue operations end only when all passengers can be disembarked in a safe haven”. This was stated by Lukas, the spokesman for the crew of the Humanity1 vessel.
“We are very surprised – he added – that the authorities communicated the concession to disembark in Italy only due to bad weather. The decision to let us dock in Bari was not the best and put many people’s lives at risk. We strongly criticize this decision because we tried to find a better solution and to dock in closer ports for safety reasons but the authorities didn’t reconsider the decision and that’s why we arrived in Bari, because our goal was to disembark all the people in a safe harbor”.
“This – he highlighted – is happening now and we are disembarking the minors first, then the women with children and families and then the remaining passengers. Above all, we are happy that we are now in a safe place and we wish the best for the future.
Before being rescued they were at sea for about a day off the coast of Libya.”
“In general – he specified – we are happy with the positive attitude shown by the people on board despite the difficult and traumatic experiences they have had in the last few days, weeks and months. Especially yesterday they were under stress due to adverse weather conditions with winds of 25 knots and rain, and that was a problem because people were sleeping on that bridge and imagined 2-3 meter waves crashing on them and very limited space to keep them from getting wet.A very difficult situation but not c ‘was another solution to weather the storm”. “We are happy – she concluded – that now everyone can get off the ship safely and that the storm did not last long and this limbo did not last long”.
Migrants, tensions with the EU and challenge to ships: Tajani’s pressure stops Piantedosi
by Alessandra Ziniti
The welcome
The reception machine, coordinated by the Prefecture of Bari, managed the operations of disembarkation, health care and identification. Questura, financial police, carabinieri and local police, with 118, Asl, Usmaf, Red Cross and Caritas have prepared the activities.
The first to disembark were migrants in need of care. Then it was the turn of unaccompanied minors and families with children. All. subjected to a swab and then to other health checks. Photosignaling for identification took place inside the cruise terminal. Then the migrants left the port on board buses and were distributed in various reception centers in Italy. Unaccompanied minors and a few other migrants will remain in Puglia.
It was precisely the Policlinico di Bari that also took charge of the health needs of migrants. “In short, an emergency in the emergency room for some time with absurd performance volumes exceeded thanks to the high professionalism of the healthcare personnel with nurses at the forefront. We take advantage of the opportunity to recommend to citizens that they have respect for the personnel and understand that any delays to their taking charge and due to contingent factors not attributable to the will of the doctors”, underlines Saverio Andreula (Opi Bari).
The outstretched arms of the Church
“The situation is one of great suffering and poverty. However, this situation of pain is contrasted with a welcome and organization between the various realities and institutions that is wonderful. We must be proud and proud because once again the city of Bari demonstrates great openness and great cordiality but also a lot of professionalism because the various realities present, civil protection, Red Cross, Caritas and all the institutions are here to experience this very difficult and very delicate moment, because it has to do with life and with the story of many people we don’t know but who come from situations of great effort and suffering”. This was stated by the bishop of Bari-Bitonto, Monsignor Giuseppe Satriano, arriving at the port of Bari.
“We are welcoming in the style of our city community which has always been welcoming. As a city we live the culture of hospitality of a humanity that opens up to the tears, to the sufferings, to the dreams of the young people of other peoples. We are the charity in the port, available to give support. We are here with open arms” said Don Franco Lanzolla, parish priest of the Cathedral and the port of Bari.
On the many unaccompanied minors on board, Don Franco said: “children need a family and we would like to be a people who become a family for those who don’t have one, a community that knows how to welcome, support and integrate, this is our culture of hospitality, which is not giving something but giving respect, esteem and creating relationships that promote the other in his dignity”.
“We – he concluded – want to be a people who pay attention to the sea. In Bari we have always welcomed war and economic refugees from the East. Our city and Puglia have always been tense and leaning towards the East in giving and welcoming”.