Italy refuses port to NGO vessel with 33 rescued migrants on board

The Italian interior minister on Tuesday again rejected authorizing the docking of a ship belonging to a German NGO with 33 migrants on board who were recently rescued in the central Mediterranean.

Matteo Salvini said that Italy has previously allowed 700,000 people to land, but now other countries, such as Germany, Spain, the Netherlands or France, should, in turn, contribute to this issue.

The non-profit, Sea-Watch, once again requested a port to dock and appealed for help from the German government, while weather conditions were worsening and the ship was still waiting for a country to take charge of the 33 rescued people, including 3 teenagers, 3 children and 4 women.

The rescued migrants come mostly from Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Libya, according to the NGO.

For the time being, the Sea-Watch 3 vessel remained in the rescue zone of Malta, which has yet to authorize the landing.