I følge den italienske kystvagt er 7.000 migranter samlet op af Middelhavet i påsken. Siem Pilot tog 800 ombord alene påskedag.

Rolig sø er sandsynligvis en vigtig del af forklaringen på påskens rekordmange reddede migranter i Middelhavet mellem Italien og Libyen, skriver CNN.

On Sunday evening in Italy, the Italian Coast Guard estimated the number of those rescued since Friday was approaching 7,000, though that number will surely grow as a steady stream of rubber dinghies and rickety wooden fishing vessels were still being spotted off the coast of Libya. At least 20 cadavers, including that of an 8-year-old boy recovered during rescue operations, were also brought to Sicily and the Italian mainland with the survivors.

De tre første måneder i år er antallet af opsamlede migranter steget med 30 prosent, skriver The Economist:

According to the International Organisation for Migration, 24,513 people had landed in Italy this year by April 2nd. That was an increase of about 30% compared with the first three months of last year.

Det kan gå hen og blive en meget varm sommer, når det gælder migration.

European authorities and charity ships face a daunting task. Since the beginning of the year, 32,750 migrants and refugees have arrived on European shores, not including those rescued this weekend, according to UNHCR. In 2016, the total number topped 355,000.

Frontex står i spidsen for søge- og redningsoperationen Triton, hvor 15 EU-lande og også Norge deltager med Siem Pilot.

Over the busy weekend, Frontex says the Norwegian Siem Pilot, currently on rotation for Frontex’s Triton program, rescued more than 500 of the nearly 7,000 people pulled to safety.

Siden samlede mandskabet på Siem Pilot yderligere 300 op. Listen over oprindelseslande er afslørende, den domineres ikke just af lande, som er hærget af krig eller hungersnød:

Af de første 510 som kom ombord første påskedag, var der mennesker fra blandt andet Burkina Faso, Elfenbenskysten, Kamerun, Liberien, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Sudan og Nigeria, siger Anne Sandal, kommunikationschef i Kripos, til VG.

CNN: The battle to save lives at sea: Record number of migrants rescued

VG: Siem Pilot plukket opp rundt 800 båtflyktninger