“Humanity 1”, which has been waiting for a safe haven for almost two weeks, is on its way to Catania, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Friday evening in Rome. The ship may anchor there until the migrants on board have been medically examined.
Migrant minors and pregnant women, women with small children or refugees with a fever are allowed to land, Tajani said. But all people who do not meet these criteria would have to leave Italy’s territorial waters by ship.
Several rescue ships with a total of more than a thousand migrants on board are currently waiting in the Mediterranean to be assigned a safe harbor. According to their own statements, the sea rescuers of “Humanity 1” rescued migrants in distress in the Mediterranean in three missions between October 22 and 24.
Among them are more than a hundred unaccompanied minors. The federal government on Thursday asked Italy for “rapid help” for the rescued refugees.
After taking office, Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, announced that she would block the arrival of immigrants from Africa. Her interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, said he can prevent the aid organizations’ ships and the migrants on board from coming to Italy.
(SDA)