MADRID: A Spanish NGO said on Saturday it had rescued 59 migrants as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya, drawing condemnation from Italy’s far-right interior minister who said they were not welcome in his country.

The news comes a day after three babies were found dead and 100 more went missing in a shipwreck off Libya that Pro­activa Open Arms, whose charity rescue boat was in the area, said could potentially have been avoided.

It also follows a controversial deal reached by EU member states to stem the arrival of migrants. The accord struck on Friday includes the setting up of secure centres for migrants in the bloc, “disembarkation platforms” outside the bloc and sharing out refugees among member states.

The NGO said on Twitter the 59 migrants were now on board their Open Arms ship “heading for a secure port”.

Reacting to the rescue, Italy’s hard-line Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Facebook: “The nearest port is Malta, the organisation and flag are Spanish: they can forget about coming to an Italian port.”

Malta’s interior minister retorted on Twitter that the migrants had been rescued between Libya and Italy’s Lampe­dusa. “Stop spreading incorrect information by pointing the finger at Malta without any reason,” Michael Farrugia said.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2018