Madrid Offers Open Arms Boat With Over 100 Migrants To Dock At Spain's Closest Port

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2019) The Spanish government offered the Open Arms charity boat, which has over 100 rescued migrants on board and has been blocked by Italy from docking at its Lampedusa port for over two wees, to dock at the closest Spanish port.�

On Sunday, Spain offered the boat to dock at its port in Algeciras, but the Proactiva Open Arms non-governmental organization, to whom the boat belongs, said that the humanitarian situation on the ship was dire and that the passengers and crew would not make the five day journey to the Spanish port.

According to the Spanish government's statement, the charity did not respond to its offer to dock at the closest Spanish port.

On Sunday, the Open Arms organization sent an urgent request to the Lampedusa authorities, requesting that they let the boat dock, saying that the rescued migrants on board were in critical condition psychologically.

A total of 107 rescued migrants, mostly from African countries have been anchored off the coast of Italy for 18 days on board the Open Arms boat, unable to disembark due to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini banning them from doing so.