Tourists rescued dozens of immigrants on the resort island

In an exciting incident that took place in the Mediterranean Sea, a group of tourists aboard the cruise ship “Maria Sula” belonging to the Sula Hotel on the island of Lampedusa, unexpectedly became part of a dramatic rescue operation. The event, which took place on September 25, revealed the complex reality of the immigration crisis in Europe.

 

Lampedusa, a small island located between Sicily and the coast of North Africa, has become in recent years a symbol of the migration crisis in Europe. Its geographical location makes it a favorite destination for migrants trying to reach Europe, often in dangerous and inhumane conditions.

Captain Franco Ruggiero, 69, of Naples, and his crew found themselves at the center of an unexpected rescue operation when they spotted a small iron boat loaded with people. “We immediately called the Coast Guard and calmed down the survivors,” says Ruggiero. Although the Coast Guard boats arrived quickly, the water continued to penetrate the migrants’ boat, which led to their immediate rescue aboard the “Maria Sola”.

The truth is that those like the ministrucle are four cats.
There are more good people.

From tourists to rescuers: voices and images of the “accidental heroes” of Lampedusa. “We wanted to save them all” – la Repubblica https://t.co/ftaEQaZvAU

— ️annalore (@annalore64) September 28, 2024

 

Elena Bagliomini, a 67-year-old tourist from Bologna, described the moving moment: “I still tear up when I remember the woman who lifted her daughter in the air like a trophy, as if to say ‘at least save her’. I have never seen an immigrant up close, today I understand much more.”

The tourist Navel Zeus, 63 years old from the city of Meda in the district of Milan tells about the difficult incident. “I caught a little girl who was holding her father and he grabbed a life belt. We already saved about thirty people. Meanwhile we no longer saw one of the babies and there was another little boy who was about ten years old. He drowned in one moment, then we saw him again trying to breathe and then he drowned again” . The journey from the shores of Africa to Europe is especially difficult for babies and small children and they are usually the first to die because there is no water to drink in those rusty iron boats. In winter the children die of hypothermia due to the cold.

 

The journey to Lampedusa from the coast of Africa is dangerous and often ends in disaster | Photo: Alessio Tricani, shutterstock
 

 

The event revealed anew the gap between the tourists’ expectations of the vacation and the beautiful island, and the complex reality of the region. “We were told there would be no problems in Lampedusa,” the tourists say, “and there really weren’t, but we saw with our own eyes all the evil of the time we live in.” Due to the capacity limitations of the “Maria Sula”, some of the survivors were transferred to another ship, the “Jamaica”, and finally all were transferred to the patrol vessels of the Coast Guard.

Captain Ruggiero says that “the guests reacted with excitement and participated in the rescue effort. When the survivors were on board, they petted them. I myself touched the cheek of a little girl to make sure she was okay. None of us imagined that we would be part of such an event.”