EU welcomes six European countries accepting migrants from Open Arms ship, calls situation in Mediterranean 'untenable'
Open Arms remains close to the Italian island of Lampedusa, but the future of 134 migrants aboard remains unclear. Only a handful of people were allowed to disembark for medical reasons.
The EU welcomed the news that six European countries agreed to accept some of the rescued migrants but lamented the situation at hand.
European Commission spokesperson Vanessa Mock understands the issue at stake.
"The situation where people are stranded for days and weeks on end is untenable. Once again we are reminded that the predictable and sustainable solutions are urgently needed in the Mediterranean to ensure that people can disembark quickly and safely and receive the care they need.
“This is not the responsibility of one or a couple of member states but of Europe as a whole."
It comes after an Italian judge overruled a decree to block the ship from docking in Lampedusa. However, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini refuses to let the ship dock.
On another ship, the Ocean Viking, some 356 migrants are stranded between Malta and Italy. So far no EU countries have agreed to accept the migrants.
Ocean Viking team member Nick Romaniuk knows how terrible the conditions are on board the vessel.
"They have gone through terrible hardships during their initial journey on land. Their time spent in Libya - we're hearing atrocious stories of human suffering and so people need to be disembarked as soon as possible."