Two children, their mothers and a
pregnant woman are refusing to leave the Alan Kurdi migrant
rescue ship, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Friday.
The kids, aged one and six, their mothers and the pregnant
woman were given permission to land in Lampedusa for medical
reasons by the interior ministry earlier.
"All that remains is to wish them bon voyage towards Berlin,"
said Salvini.
The Alan Kurdi is run by German migrant rescue NGO Sea Eye.
Sea Eye said later its policy was not to split up families.
"Italy offered to evacuate two children and their mothers,
The accord with the German government was, however, that
families would be evacuated. We will not make any family
separation active!"
It added: "this is an emotional torture and puts the
wellbeing of the child at risk".
A German foreign minister spokesperson, meanwhile, said that
"we are in direct contact with our Italian partners" about the
ship.
A European Commission spokesperson said that the EU executive
was following the case and had requested the creation of a
coordination group.
Germany also said it was willing to take some of the migrants
on board the vessel.
Two children, their mothers and a pregnant woman are refusing
to leave the ship, Salvini said.
The kids, aged one and six, their mothers and the pregnant
woman were given permission to land on Lampedusa for medical
reasons by the interior ministry earlier.
"All that remains is to wish them bon voyage towards Berlin,"
said Salvini.
Coast guard and finance guard motor launches had left
Lampedusa Friday to take the four on board.
Sources said they would be taken to Lampedusa.
The Alan Kurdi is currently reported to be zigzagging about
15 nautical miles from Lampedusa, respecting an Italian interior
ministry warning Thursday that its course was to be considered
"not inoffensive" to Italy, sources said.
The ship has yet to obtain from the Roma coast guard maritime
coordination centre an authorisation to enter Italy's
territorial waters.
At Lampedusa, coast guard motor launches and finance guard
vessels are said to be monitoring the situation, local sources
said.
Lampedusa is a stepping stone island for migrants, closer to
Libya than to Sicily.
It has borne the brunt of migrant landings over the past few
years.
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