Almost 100 migrants on board a charity ship stranded off Lampedusa for days, have disembarked on the Italian island after a prosecutor ordered the evacuation of the vessel.
They were greeted by activists, who applauded and shouted “welcome” to the mainly African migrants. The prosecutor, Luigi Patronaggio, also ordered the seizure of the ship, which belongs to the Spanish charity Open Arms. The charity said that the migrants would now be able to receive treatment locally.
The Italian government had been refusing to allow the migrants into the country. Before the prosecutor’s decision, Spain – the home of the Open Arms charity – had sent a naval vessel to Lampedusa to pick up those on board. BBC
Pix: African migrants
