Dozens of migrants stranded on boat for 5 days

Rome, May 8 (efe-epa).- Dozens of migrants who were rescued at sea have spent five days on a freighter waiting for permission to dock.

The group of 79 people have been on board the Marina, a private cargo ship, since Sunday.

Neither Malta or Italy have responded to requests to disembark, according to humanitarian charities operating in the area.

Sea-Watch International said in a tweet on Monday that the survivors and the crew were “still waiting off Lampedusa to be assigned a safe harbour”.

“Stop the political haggling on the back of rescuers and rescued,” it added.

In another tweet on Wednesday it said: “The situation aboard the commercial vessel Marina is unbearable.

“The captain reports people sleeping in the open, the crew being exhausted and food to expire soon. Governments of Italy and Malta have to provide a port of safety – now.”

The Marina, which was heading to Malta, rescued the group after receiving a request from the Maltese rescue coordination service.

Its captain has told Maltese media that the situation on the ship is urgent due to a lack of food and water and fights between some of the migrants, who have been sleeping on deck for five days.

The ship is now in Italian territorial waters a few miles from the island of Lampedusa.

Italian NGO Mediterranean Saving Human issued a statement asking Italy to “immediately” accept those rescued by the vessel.