Italy has allowed more than 500 migrants aboard two ships rescued in the Mediterranean to enter the country.
According to the Reuters news agency, there are 248 migrants on board the Geo Barents ship of the non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Doctors Without Borders welcomed Italy’s decision to allow the migrants in, saying it would take 24 hours for them to arrive at the southern coast port of Port of Salerno.
MSF has said that it is good news for migrants to reach a safe place after facing a tragic accident.
Two days ago, the migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea due to bad weather.
Responding to pleas for help from aid ships in the Mediterranean is a challenge for Italy’s new right-wing government, which has taken a hardline stance on immigration.
In his speech at the Euro-Mediterranean meeting in Alicante, Spain, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, referring to the NGO ships, said that each “case is unique.”
He said that a ship will anchor at the port of Salerno.
Italian media have said that the ship Humanity One and another NGO SOS ship Humanity have also been allowed to dock at the port of Bari.
The ship Humanity is carrying 261 migrants, including 30 women, some of whom are pregnant, and 90 children. Most migrants are traveling alone.
A spokesperson for SOS Humanity was not immediately available for comment.
A 14-year-old boy, traveling alone, was airlifted from Geo Barents to Sicily due to severe abdominal pain, MSF said.
On Wednesday, a woman gave birth on the same ship, after which she was taken to Sicily along with three other children.