WATCH: Smugglers Caught Filling Up Small Boat With Migrants Near Coast Of Italy

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Jun. 23, 2019

Italian authorities caught smugglers from Libya unloading 81 migrants off their small fishing boat in the Mediterranean onto an even smaller vessel near the coast of Italy.

"A surveillance plane belonging to the European Union’s border force, Frontex, captured footage of the smugglers at work, about 100 kilometres south of the island of Lampedusa," EuroNews reported.

Frontex alleges the fishing boat transferred 81 migrants to a smaller vessel, which then headed towards Italy.

The fishing vessel headed back towards Libya. An Italian patrol boat gave chase and intercepted the vessel north of the Libyan coast.

WATCH:

Wait, wait. Why is that fishing trawler towing an empty wooden boat at high seas??? pic.twitter.com/psy2z6z9Wp
— Frontex (@Frontex) June 22, 2019

When 80 people squeezed onto it, the fishing trawler quickly pulled away. The migrant ship then started to slowly head toward the Italian island of Lampedusa.
— Frontex (@Frontex) June 22, 2019

A Frontex plane and drone kept observing the fishing trawler and the boat with migrants over several hours, alerting Italian and Maltese authorities, as well as @EUNAVFORMED_OHQ .
— Frontex (@Frontex) June 22, 2019

Notice how few of the people that squeezed into the crowded wooden boat had life vests as they were left all alone in the middle of the sea.
— Frontex (@Frontex) June 22, 2019

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