For days, people on the "Open Arms" lifeboat waited for permission to enter an Italian port. Now they were allowed to go ashore.
Rome (AP) - 363 migrants, who the rescue ship "Open Arms" salvaged from Libya out of distress, arrived in Sicily after waiting for days at sea.
The Italian government had previously given Proactiva Open Arms approval after several days of waiting on Saturday evening to enter Pozzallo. Malta, on the other hand, refused entry, the helpers wrote on Twitter. "Despite all the difficulties, it's worth the effort."
Since the beginning of the year, Rome has assigned private rescue ships on the Mediterranean to safe ports several times very quickly. Other EU countries, including Germany, had previously agreed to accept some of the people.
Most migrants from Libya are currently migrating to Italy. Aid groups report that the security situation in the civil war country has deteriorated significantly.
Open Arma on Twitter