Italy, Malta reject 52 migrants stranded on animal cargo ship

A Lebanese cargo ship carrying 52 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean has been denied access to Italy and Malta, forcing its captain to accommodate the stranded people in the vessel’s dirty cattle cages.
“I am running out of food and water to give them,” said Mohammad Shaaban, the captain of the Talia, the ship used for transporting livestock that on Friday rescued the migrants from a sinking dinghy heading from Libya to Europe, in a phone interview with Al Jazeera.
“This is a place for animals, not for humans. Malta, Italy, or even Spain must take these people, I am not a government agency, the company cannot bear more losses,” he said.
Most of the Talia’s passengers are from Somalia and Djibouti, and many need urgent medical care after surviving war in Libya and enduring five days at sea, according to Shaaban.
On Sunday, Malta’s armed forces allowed the medical evacuation of two people from the Talia, but refused to take others.

Most of the Talia’s passengers are from Somalia and Djibouti [Courtesy of the Talia]

One of the stranded migrants, 16-year-old
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