The situation aboard the Spanish NGO migrant rescue ship Open Arms is "explosive", Agrigento chief prosecutor Luigi Patronaggio said Tuesday adding that he was travelling to Lampedusa by helicopter to monitor the situation and "restore calm so that no one gets hurt".
"The commitment and attention are maximum to ensure the safety of the persons on board," he said.
Patronaggio is taking with him a team of medics, sources said.
He later arrived and took the medics with him onto the ship.
This morning a migrant threw himself into the sea and was taken to a clinic on the island.
Another nine migrants threw themselves into the water around noon and tried to swim to the island.
They were picked up by coast guard vessels and offloaded onto the dockside.
Then another five migrants jumped into the sea, and were also picked up by coast guard vessels.
There are now 88 migrants aboard the Open Arms.
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