The captain of a Spanish charity ship carrying 134 rescued migrants warned Friday of the “explosive” situation on board the vessel anchored within swimming distance of Italy’s Lampedusa island but forbidden to approach.
Italy has evacuated a handful of medical cases from the Open Arms but far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has been refusing to allow the vessel to dock despite a European deal to take in those remaining.
The captain of the ship operated by Proactiva Open Arms, Marc Reig, said that those on board, rescued after leaving chaos-stricken Libya, were “broken psychologically”.
“Every second that passes, the bomb ticks a second closer. Either someone cuts the red cable and defuses this bomb now, or the Open Arms will explode,” he told Spain’s TVE television.