Italian Coast Guard Plucks 243 Migrants And A Newborn Baby From Perilous Stormy Sea.

It’s unimaginable to think of packing everything you own into a knapsack and climbing aboard a crowded boat in hopes of finding a new life in a different country. Yet millions of refugees do so every day.

In 2021, Italy saw a record increase in migrants fleeing poverty and political unrest in countries like Tunisia, Bangladesh, and Egypt. More than 62,000 people, twice last 2020’s number, have arrived on Italy’s shores by sea. These journeys are treacherous, and not all of the boats reach their destinations.

Just last week the Italian coast guard rescued 296 migrants who sent a distress signal after hitting rough seas off the Italian island of Lamedusa. Just days later, the coast guard was once again summoned to rescue a fishing boat from stormy seas, this one with 244 desperate people on board. Among them were 41 children, including a baby who was born on the boat mere hours earlier!

The coast guard received the call for help off the Calabrian coast on a Saturday, and the rescue took them over 16 hours due to the challenging weather conditions and roiling ocean waves.

Normally the country sees a drop-off in migrant activity during the cold winter months, but this year even rough seas and frigid waters haven’t stopped migrants from making the journey.

“Right now on all the routes, what you are seeing is an increase in the number of families arriving with lots of children,” stated UNHCR representative Chiara Cardoletti. “And that is true also for the route to Calabria. Over 18 percent of all refugees now arriving in Calabria are children.”

We want to extend a huge thank you to all of the rescue workers in the Italian coast guard for saving these people from a terrible fate at sea. We’re so grateful to heroes around the world who risk their own lives to save others!

Watch video of the dramatic rescue below, and don’t forget to share.