Yesterday morning.
Off the coast of Libya
The crew of the Irish Navy vessel LÉ Eithne rescued 593 migrants: from six separate vessels, 50 Nautical Miles north west of Tripoli [Libyan capital].
Operations by the LÉ Eithne have rescued 2,729 people since its deployment on May 16 to assist Italian authorities in search and rescue operations in Mediterranean.
Fair play, in fairness
(David Jones/Photocall Ireland)
This morning.
Off the coast of Libya
The crew of the Irish naval vessel LÉ Eithne successfully located and rescued a total of 519 migrants off three separate vessels.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs:
“The operation commenced at 5.16am, all migrants on board by 6.31am”
LÉ Eithne rescues 519 migrants off coast of Libya (RTÉ)
(DFA/Photocall ireland)
Migrants being rescued by the Irish Navy on LÉ Eithne off the coast of Libya last night and this morning.
RTE reports:
“At around 9am this morning the LÉ Eithne came across 100 migrants on board a rubber dinghy and a rescue operation is under way [off the coast of Libya]. These operations follow the successful rescue of 201 migrants who were found in five makeshift boats yesterday.”
Meanwhile, Neil Michael in the Irish Daily Mail, reporting on the 201 migrants rescued yesterday, writes [not online]:
“The migrants were last night due to be transferred to the 176m British Royal Navy assault ship, the HMS Bulwark, on which they will be transported to a port of safety in Italy.“
LÉ Eithne rescues 300 migrants off Libyan coast (RTE)
Pic: RTE and Photocall Ireland
LÉ Eithne
Sorcha Pollak, in the Irish Times, reports:
“The Irish naval vessel LÉ Eithne is to be dispatched to the Mediterranean sea to participate in an EU search and rescue mission for migrants fleeing north Africa, the Minister for Defence has said. Simon Coveney told RTE radio [this] morning the navy was preparing the LÉ Eithne so it would be ready to leave for the Mediterranean by Friday, May 8th.”
“He said the vessel was being prepared in Haulbowline naval base in Cork harbour so that it could “successfully save people and drop them to local ports in the vicinity of the Mediterranean”.”
“Asked whether there was any plan in place to bring migrants back to the Republic of Ireland, Mr Coveney said it wouldn’t be practical to be picking people up from the sea and bringing them back to the State.”
LÉ Eithne to participate in migrant search and rescue (Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times)
LÉ Eithne will be ready to travel to Mediterranean on Friday (Morning Ireland, RTÉ)
Photocall Ireland
