On December 31st, in the presence of dozens of police, coast guard officials and medics, the Ocean Viking rescue ship disembarked the last of 113 migrants at the port of Ravenna in northern Italy. Frey Lindsay reports for InfoMigrants.
The Italian region of Emilia-Romagna is getting ready to welcome and offer shelter to the 113 migrants on board the Ocean Viking NGO ship - after a gruelling four-day journey up the Adriatic Sea, imposed by Italian authorities.
The group of around 90 people landed in two German airports on Thursday. The migrants had been rescued in Italy and will now be sent to reception centers in four German states.
The migrants came into the country on board an NGO rescue ship after Italy refused to allow all them into one of its ports. French authorities say 44 of over 200 on board do not qualify for asylum status.
Disembarkation is underway in Sicily for the 306 migrants on board the Ocean Viking. Meanwhile, the Italian prime minister says the country has reached its limits on the number of migrants it can accept.