Listen to this story:ROME – On Tuesday, as new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni doubled down on her hardline anti-migrant policies, a rescue hotline sent an alert warning that boats carrying 1,300 people were in distress between the coasts of Italy and Malta. In a tweet sent Tuesday morning, the hotline said “Reportedly, a person died and engines aren’t working anymore. Earlier in the evening, the hotline reported that “12 people have died or are unconscious and many suffer from dehydration. Ocean Viking yesterday sent a series of tweets saying they had rescued two boats in distress carrying 146 people total. On Wednesday Alarm Phone dispatched another tweet stating that the 1,300 migrants in distress were finally rescued by the Italians “After long operations carried out” throughout the night.

Source: Libya Today October 26, 2022 08:32 UTC