SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Ocean Viking, said in a statement that the ship carrying 180 migrants declared a state of emergency to stress the deteriorating situation on board as the crew renews its appeals for safe harbor. The charity said it lodged seven requests for permission to enter a port, but Italy and Malta said no. The migrants were rescued from the unseaworthy boats of people smugglers in the central Mediterranean during four operations between June 25 and June 30. The people rescued include a pregnant woman and 25 minors, 17 of them traveling without relatives or guardians, the charity said. In addition to threatening to harm themselves or others, some of the passengers have started fighting among themselves, it said.

Source: International New York Times July 03, 2020 18:04 UTC