The operation to rescue 34 migrants
who had been stranded on the Capo Ponente rocks on the Italian
island of Lampedusa for 36 hours after the boat they were aboard
crashed into them on the night between Friday and Saturday was
successfully completed on Sunday.
All of the migrants are safe.
Three of the six women in the group were taken to the island's
health clinic, although none are in a serious condition, sources
said.
The rescue operation was tough because of the strong winds and
choppy seas that prevented the Coast Guard from rescuing them
via sea.
Indeed, the Air Force and Fire Brigade were called in to lift
the migrants off the rocks using helicopters.
The migrants said they were from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory
Coast, Guinea, Mali and Nigeria.
They said their boat departed from Sfax, in Tunisia, on Thursday
night.
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