Six migrants aboard a rescue ship in the Mediterranean Sea tried to kill themselves and others have gotten into fights and threatened fellow passengers and …
Six migrants aboard a rescue ship in the Mediterranean Sea tried to kill themselves and others have gotten into fights and threatened fellow passengers and crew members in growing desperation over their inability to find a country willing to take them in, the charity that operates the vessel said Friday.
SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Ocean Viking, said in a statement that the ship carrying 180 migrants declared a state of emergency to stress the deteriorating situation on board as the crew renews its appeals for safe harbor. The charity said it lodged seven requests for permission to enter a port, but Italy and Malta said no.
There were no immediate government responses from either country about the alleged refusals.
The migrants were rescued from the unseaworthy boats of people smugglers in the central Mediterranean during four operations between June 25 and June 30.
