The Romanian border police have rescued 119 migrants from Africa who were trying to reach Europe. They were aboard a small inflatable boat on the Mediterranean Sea and risked drowning.

On January 26, the Romanian Stefan cel Mare ship was on a patrol mission when it was tasked by the MRCC Rome to rescue around 100 people aboard an inflatable boat which was in danger of sinking in the Mediterranean Sea, according to a statement of the Romanian border police.

The police located the boat at around 22:00 and rescued all the 119 migrants who were in danger due to harsh conditions such as low temperature and overcrowding on their boat. Some 34 of them were children.

The migrants were dehydrated and had signs of hypothermia. They were all men and were coming from Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Mali.

The Romanian ship docked on January 27 near the Lampedusa Port and the Italian authorities took over the migrants.

Romanian vessel joins border patrol mission in the Mediterranean

Group of illegal immigrants caught entering Romania

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Politiadefrontiera.ro)