265 Migrants from Libya, Eretria Land in Italy

The Italian authorities allowed on Monday 265 migrants to land in a safe port in Sicily after rescuing them a few days ago in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast.

The migrants who arrived on the Spanish vessel "Open Arms," included 14 women and at least six children.

Minors will be transferred to a shelter on land, while adults will be quarantined on a ferry. The Spanish-flagged vessel, belonging to the sea rescue organization Open Arms, brought in migrants from separate rescue operations off Sicily.

Officials from Porto Empedocle said the transfer of around 50 minors to a shelter on land was being delayed due to rough seas. The children were granted permission to go on land after testing negative for COVID-19, according to Deutsche Welle news agency.

Open Arms said 96 of those rescued had been in international waters for two days in wooden boats without life vests or food and water, with some suffering from hypothermia. Most of those rescued were from Eritrea, including two women and 17 minors.

In a separate operation, Open Arms had rescued around 169 migrants off the coast of Libya, where many human traffickers are based.

Italy is trying to get other European Union nations to accept more of the migrants arriving at its coasts, as many of them are eventually trying to reach northern European nations. Many of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been rescued at sea in recent years are fleeing persecution as well as poverty in their home countries.