Ahbarijiet
Conditions on Spanish rescue ship ‘Open Arms’ reach crisis level
Four people jumped into the sea and tried to swim to the coast of Italy, which has denied the ship entry even though six EU countries have offered to take in the migrants
Conditions on the Spanish rescue ship Open Arms continue to deteriorate with the migrants on board becoming increasingly desperate to reach shore.
The vessel, which is operated by Spanish aid organization Proactiva Open Arms, was expected to dock in Italy on Thursday evening after that country’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, announced an offer of assistance. But Conte has come up against his own interior minister, Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League, who continues to refuse the ship entry.
The refusal comes despite the fact that six European countries, including Spain, have offered to take in the migrants who were rescued from the central Mediterranean two weeks ago. Although Salvini reluctantly allowed 27 unaccompanied migrants from the ship to dock at the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday, 107 remain on board after 18 days at sea.
