French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that France is ready, along with several other European partners, to welcome 20 out of the 60 migrants stranded off Malta aboard the migrant rescue vessel Alan Kurdi operated by NGO Sea Eye, said on Friday.
Castaner said that as with the other ships (referring to the Lifeline, Aquarius and SeaWatch) he asked officials at the ministry and OFRA (French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless people) to be ready to travel to the location over the next few hours to facilitate the transfer to France of 20 people in need of protection.
The Alan Kurdi has been eight days out at sea with scores of African migrants on board appealed to European states for a safe port, saying the health of the rescued people was worsening.
The ship is stranded between Malta and Italy.
Malta and Italy denied the Alan Kurdi entry into their waters after the vessel, managed by German humanitarian organization Sea-Eye, rescued 64 migrants off the Libyan coast on April 3.
Via Rai News
