Ship carrying 900 migrants docks in Italy

AN Italian coastguard ship carrying more than 900 migrants was allowed to dock in Sicily yesterday, after Italy controversially turned away a separate foreign vessel with rescued migrants on board.

The Diciotti ship arrived at the port of Catania and the migrants began to disembark, an AFP photographer said.

They were saved during rescue operations off Libya.

Italy’s new populist government came under fire on Tuesday from its EU neighbours after refusing to let a foreign NGO boat carrying 629 mostly African migrants dock in Italy.

Spain stepped in and said the migrants could land at the port of Valencia.

Interior minister Matteo Salvini insisted on Tuesday that the country’s ports would no longer be open to foreign boats carrying migrants. – AFP