ABOARD THE OPEN ARMS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA — A Spanish rescue boat has saved 60 migrants in the sea near Libya, prompting Italy to immediately say it’ll deny the boat permission to dock in Italy.
An AP journalist aboard a nearby vessel says the Open Arms aid boat spotted a rubber dinghy with 60 people aboard in international waters, 30 nautical miles from Libya’s coast Saturday.
Italy’s right-wing Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted: “They can forget about arriving in an Italian port.” Salvini has vowed that private rescue boats can no longer bring migrants to Italian shores.
The AP journalist said a Libyan coast guard vessel approached the Open Arms during the rescue operation, but soon turned around and left, ordering the boat to return to Spain.