Dozens of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean after being stranded at sea for 10 days, will disembark in Malta following a deal for Germany, France, Portugal and Luxembourg to take them in, Malta's prime minister said Saturday.
The 64 migrants on board the Alan Kurdi ship "will be disembarked and redistributed" between the four countries, Joseph Muscat announced on Twitter, adding "None will remain in Malta, which cannot shoulder this burden alone."
Earlier Saturday, Malta announced a deal to distribute among the four EU nations the 64 migrants rescued at sea off Libya 10 days ago.
However, Malta said the German-flagged aid ship, named Alan Kurdi, will not be allowed to enter its ports.
Both Malta and Libya have refused to allow humanitarian rescue ship to enter their ports, saying their activities off Libya encourage human traffickers.
The German NGO Sea-Eye has complained about worsening conditions for the 64 migrants. Two have been evacuated in recent days due to health issues.
Agencies
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.