Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Night Rescue Operation 3
A confused and scared group of clandestine immigrants looks in panic during the rescue operation of the Italian Custom Police naval unit G114 "Puleo". The moment of the approach to the immigrants vessels is the most difficult stage of the police operations to bring these people to safety. The sea condition, the panic on board, the tension between the desperate people, make such an operation extremely delicate, as in these moments anyone could seriously get hurt. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Night Rescue Operation
A confused and scared group of clandestine immigrants looks in panic during the rescue operation of the Italian Custom Police naval unit G114 "Puleo". The moment of the approach to the immigrants vessels is the most difficult stage of the police operations to bring these people to safety. The sea condition, the panic on board, the tension between the desperate people, make such an operation extremely delicate, as in these moments anyone could seriously get hurt. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Night Rescue Operation 2
A confused and scared group of clandestine immigrants looks in panic during the rescue operation of the Italian Custom Police naval unit G114 "Puleo". The moment of the approach to the immigrants vessels is the most difficult stage of the police operations to bring these people to safety. The sea condition, the panic on board, the tension between the desperate people, make such an operation extremely delicate, as in these moments anyone could seriously get hurt. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Immigrant's approach to Lampedusa
Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
illegal immigrants
A member of the italian Custom Police helicopter division feels tired from ten hours of flight for patrolling the Sicilian Channel in search of boats carrying illegal immigrants departing from Lybia.Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - View of a small immigrant vessel
View of a small immigrant vessel spotted a few miles east from Lampedusa Island, from the helicopter unit of the Italian Cutom Police, "Volpe 219". The boat in question is carrying thirty five clandestine immigrants from North Africa and Erytrea. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Rescue of Immigrants vessel
A rubber dinghy with thirty five immigrants on board is being rescued from the Guardia di Finanza, Italy's Custom Police, after the vessel has been spotted from the helicopter unit "Volpe 219" about 24 miles east from Lampedusa Island.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Police Patrol
The Captain and an official from the operative italian Custom Police G114 boat "Puleo" are patrolling the Sicilian Channel on the limit of national Italian waters, in search for a boat full of immigrants spotted earlier by the helicopter of Guardia di Finanza at about 20 nautical miles from Lampedusa, Sicliy. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Custom Police in Helicopter
A member of the elicopter team of Guardia di Finanza, the italian custom police, is busy registering the exact location of a vessel spotted in italian waters and stuffed with three hundred immigrants on board, trying to reach the Sicilian coasts of Lampedusa Island. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa try to reach Sicily for better opportunities or a safer place to live, as a refuge from their own countries often scattered from civil wars or lack of basic freedoms.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Rescued Immigrants
A group of twenty five immigrants from Northern Africa has just been rescued from the Italian Custom Police at about ten nautical miles from Lampedusa Island,in the middle of the Sicilian Channel. The Guardia di Finanza, the Custom Police, has already provided the rescued immigrants with drinking water to fight their high level of dehydration.Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Rescue of Immigrants
A group of twenty five immigrants from Northern Africa is being rescued by the Italian Custom Police at about ten nautical miles from Lampedusa Island,in the middle of the Sicilian Channel. The Guardia di Finanza, the Custom Police will shortly provide the rescued immigrants with drinking water to fight their high level of dehydration.Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Maghrebian Immigrant
A tired looking immigrant from Northern Africa, is being brought to Lampedusa Island after having been rescued from their vessel by the italian Custom police at about twelve miles from the Island together with other thirty fellow travel companions after departing illegally from Libya. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Muslim women night
Two muslim women from Erytrea and the daughter of one of them, are pleased to have finally reached destination, after the twenty hours long boat trip, that brought them to Sicily from Lybia. They will shortly be offered first aid and refreshments and afterwords they will be accompanied to the first care centre of Lampedusa Island, in order to be identified and directed to further destinations. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Immigrants being Rescued 4
On their arrival to Lampedusa Island, these clandestine immigrants of Erytrean origins and coming from Libya after twenty hours of navigation, have been offered first aid and refreshments by the italian local authorities. Visibly weary from the long precarious boat trip, these people will be shortly brought to the first care centre in the Island and then will be assigned to different places according to their status of refugees.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - View of big immigrant vessel 4
This vessel containing over 300 immigrants from Erytrea, East Africa, has just been spotted from the Italian Custom Police helicopter unit "Volpe 219" and is about to be rescued and brought into safety by the nautical units of the Guardia di Finanza, and now they will undergo the long and painful process of identification, in order to be dealt as asylum seeker or otherwise be sent to there Country of origin. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - boat cemetry
This deposit/cemtery of immigrants boats is situated in the middle of Lampedusa Island and managed by the local authorities. All the immigrants boats rescued by the italian authorities are then brought to the rubbish dump of the Island and consequentally destroyed. By doing this the vessel are officially declared special waste, therefore taxed for their disposal.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Cala Madonna Beach
Tourists enjoy a sunny day in Cala Madonna, one of the busiest beach locations in Lampedusa Island, southern Sicily, where every year several hundreds of immigrants try to reach its coasts, in search for a better future for them and for their families. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa try to reach Sicily for better opportunities or a safer place to live, as a refuge from their own countries often scattered from civil wars or lack of basic freedoms.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Muslim woman and son 2
A muslim woman from Erytrea is worried for her child, after the weary risky and far too long boat trip from Lybia to Sicily. However, in a few minutes she will be pleased to have finally reached destination, after the twenty hours long boat trip, that brought them to Sicily from Lybia. They will shortly be offered first aid and refreshments and afterwords they will be accompanied to the first care centre of Lampedusa Island, in order to be identified and directed to further destinations. Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian authorities are struggling to keep the situation under crontrol through constant patrolling and rescuing of the immigrants spotted in the Sicilian Channel, even though often fatalities are invevitable and many immigrants are just found dead on the Sicilian shore.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - boat cemetry 3
The Sun is rising and a dog is passing by in the deposit/cemtery of immigrants boats, which is situated in the middle of Lampedusa Island and managed by the local authorities. All the immigrants boats rescued by the italian authorities are then brought to the rubbish dump of the Island and consequentally destroyed. By doing this the vessel are officially declared special waste, therefore taxed for their disposal.
illegal immigrants
some clothes and some shoes are what is left behind from the long trip by precarious boats that the immigrants undergo to reach the coasts of Sicily. Here, a small deposit of immigrants vessels in Proto Empedocle, one could sense a strong presence of death and despair as many of the ones who aim to Europe, sometimes die in the struggle to reach its coasts.
Sicily - Illegal Immigration - Lampedusa Cemetry
Nameless crosses of illegal immigrants found dead at their arrival in Sicily from Libano, lay baring just anonymous numbers in the cemetry of Lampedusa. Every year the coasts of Sicily become the last port of arrival for the ones, among the immigrants, cannot survive the sea and the high risks of the trip from Northern Africa to Sicily.