(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JUNE 19 - The commercial ship Maridive
601, which on May 31 rescued 75 migrants - 64 Bangladeshis, nine
Egyptians, one Moroccan and one Sudanese - docked on Tuesday
evening at the Tunisian port of Zarzis after waiting 18 days off
the country's coast for authorisation to disemark the migrants.
The Tunisian Red Crescent said the authorisation was subject
to the migrants' acceptance of voluntary repatriation.
The migrants were received at the port by Red Crescent
personnel and various international humanitarian organisations.
The migrants were transferred to a regional migrant reception
centre and then to Tunis.
Local sources said the migrants may depart Tunis for their
home countries starting as early as Thursday.
Lorena Lando, mission head for the International Organization
for Migration (IOM) in Tunis, told ANSA that IOM is ready to
provide humanitarian and medical aid to all of the migrants who
disembarked from the Maridive, as well as provide assistance to
those who want to be voluntarily repatriated.(ANSAmed).
Maridive 601 docks in Tunisia, ending 18-day odyssey
Ship with 75 migrants aboard had been waiting for authorisation
FOTO