After days of sailing at sea, a German ship with 800 migrants on board has been given permission to dock in Italy. Italian authorities allow aid agency Sea-Eye’s vessel to enter the port of Trapani, in northwestern Sicily, Sea-Eye announced on Twitter.
The migrants were rescued by Sea-Eye during several actions last week. 400 migrants were found on a wooden boat on Thursday. The boat was flooded.
Malta did not respond to a call from Sea-Eye to dock. A course was then set for the Italian island of Lampedusa, but permission to enter the harbor there was not obtained. The Sea-Eye 4 sailed on to Sicily. In the end, the authorities gave permission to moor there. The ship is expected in Trapani later today.
According to Sea-Eye, there are 200 minors and five pregnant women on board. Doctors on board treated 25 people for things like seasickness and hypothermia. Another German aid organization, Mission Lifeline, provided the Sea-Eye 4 with food and blankets for those on board on Saturday at sea.
It is estimated that more than 50,000 migrants have attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year. Sea-Eye calls on EU member states to address Malta for failing to respond to emergency calls.
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