An Italian prosecutor ordered the seizure of a rescue ship and the immediate evacuation of more than 80 migrants still aboard, capping a drama Tuesday that saw 15 people jump overboard in a desperate bid to escape deteriorating conditions on the vessel and Spain dispatch a naval ship to try to resolve the crisis.
The order to seize the Open Arms, anchored off Italy’s southernmost island of Lampedusa, came after Sicilian Prosecutor Luigi Patronaggio boarded the ship and met with port authorities as part of an investigation into possible kidnapping charges resulting from the refusal of hard-line Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to allow the migrants to get off the Spanish humanitarian ship, the news agency ANSA reported.
“Finally, the nightmare ends and 83 people on board will receive immediate assistance on land,” Open Arms said on Twitter. It remained unclear when they would begin leaving the ship.
Salvini refused to open Italian ports, even after six countries stepped forward to take the migrants and despite a fissure in Italy’s imploding governing coalition, that expanded in recent days to include his handling of the crisis.
Salvini, who staved off previous investigations resulting from other migrant standoffs when the Senate refused to lift his immunity, tweeted he wasn’t worried about the prospect of criminal charges.
“I am not afraid, I am proud to defend the borders and security of my country,” Salvini wrote.
Earlier Tuesday, Spain’s caretaker Socialist government sent a navy ship to escort the Open Arms back to a Spanish port after at least 15 of the migrants jumped into the sea within view of Lampedusa, desperate to flee overcrowded and deteriorating conditions on the vessel 19 days after they were rescued off Libya. Those who jumped overboard were eventually picked up by Italian ships.