Boat with 300 migrants arrives in Spain after week at sea

MADRID – A Spanish aid boat carrying over 300 migrants rescued at sea arrived in Spain on Friday, ending a weeklong journey across the western Mediterranean.

The boat, operated by the non-profit group Proactiva Open Arms, docked at the Spanish port of Algeciras.

The boat rescued 313 migrants in waters near Libya last week, but had to travel to Spain after Malta denied it permission to dock and Italy and other countries refused to help. Three of the migrants were later evacuated for health reasons.

Oscar Camps, head of Proactiva Open Arms, said Friday that the group of migrants included “19 different nationalities, with many people with the right to ask for asylum.”

In June, Spain opened its ports to another aid ship belonging to SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders carrying over 600 rescued migrants after Italy and Malta refused to let it dock.

According to the U.N. refugee agency, over 2,200 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year in unseaworthy smugglers’ boats while 119,336 have reached Europe.