A warm Christmas in Sicily awaits 214 people rescued in four operations off Malta by the NGO vessel Sea Eye earlier in December.

The vessel, which had been refused disembarkation in Malta, has finally been offered a port of safety in Pozzallo, a Sea Eye representative confirmed to Times of Malta on Thursday. 

Just an hour earlier, the Church in Malta had appealed to the government not to leave these migrants, and another 70 reported stranded by Alarm Phone on Wednesday, at sea, and had even offered them shelter in its homes.

Armed Forces of Malta had turned down the Sea Eye’s request for assistance and said: “Malta is not in a position to provide you with a place of safety.”

The 223 migrants, who include pregnant women and children, had been at sea for more than three days before they were rescued. Nine were previously evacuated by the Italian coast guard for medical reasons in four operations.

A spokesperson for Sea Eye had said that they are dehydrated, seasick, have infections and infected wounds, broken bones, and one child could not even walk.

But during his stay on Sea Eye, he has been training with the crew and can now play soccer.

Two people had grade three chemical burns while two older men have  diabetes, one of whom has a coronary vascular disease.

“We are infinitely relieved that people are finally allowed to go ashore. It is significant that even on Christmas eve people are brought to safety by sea rescuers.

"The humanitarian crisis does not take a Christmas vacation. We are particularly grateful to the civil society sea rescue alliance United4Rescue, who made this additional rescue mission possible. It saved the lives of another 223 people, ” Sea Eye chairman Gordon Isler said.

The Sea Eye 4 has rescued over 1400 people from distress at sea during four rescue missions in 2021.