A rescue ship with no fewer than 300 migrants on board has arrived in Spain after a week’s journey on the Mediterranean Sea.
The Open Arms ship arrived on Friday at around 9 am (0800 GMT) in the port of Campamento in Algeciras in the South of the country, as reported by Spanish media, citing the authorities.
Italy and Malta had previously refused to let the people rescued by the private Spanish aid organisation Proactiva Open Arms land.
As in similar previous cases, Spain declared its willingness to accept the rescued refugees.
When the coast of the Spanish region of Andalusia came into view, the migrants reacted with great joy, Open Arms’ head of mission, Gerard Canals, said.
“They were very happy and started to sing. We brought the children to the deck and gave them chocolate,’’ Gerard Canals told Spanish news agency Europa Press.
After their rescue near the Libyan coast, the migrants had spent Christmas on board ship.
They were supplied with food and medicines by another ship belonging to the Spanish aid organisation, the Astral.
The numerous children and teenagers on board were given Christmas hats.
The migrants were on three boats when they were rescued on Dec. 21.
But Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini once again made it clear that the country’s ports were “closed’’ to civilian ships.
The populist government in Rome is pursuing an extremely tough course against immigrants, which is why more and more have headed directly to Spain this year.
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