Spanish boat with 121 migrants asks 3 EU states to find port

MADRID – A Spanish humanitarian boat that has been carrying 121 migrants for a week in the central Mediterranean awaiting a safe port to dock has asked Spain, France and Germany for help.

Open Arms said Thursday that it sent letters to the governments of the three countries asking for them to request the European Commission to find a solution to their predicament.

The boat is near the Italian island of Lampedusa and has been denied entry by Italy and Malta.

Anabel Montes, chief of mission for the Open Arms rescue boat, said: “We reiterate once again the urgency to have a safe port where we can disembark these people following the international agreements, and especially in reference to the human rights declaration emphasizing the right to life.”