According to maritime authorities, a rescue ship carrying 230 passengers has anchored in the French port of Toulon amid a French-Italian disagreement over who is in charge of them.
The individuals were found at sea close to the Libyan coast by the Ocean Viking, a French NGO, who then spent weeks looking for a port to receive them.
The ship docked at 8:50am (07:50 GMT) on Friday.
Aljazera News reported that, France had never before allowed a rescue vessel carrying people from the Mediterranean to land on its coast, but did so this time because Italy had refused access.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Thursday that the people were Italy’s responsibility under European Union rules, and that the French move was an “exceptional” measure that would not guide future action.
He said Italy’s refusal to accept the people was “incomprehensible” and that there would be “severe consequences” for Italy’s bilateral relations with France and with the EU as a whole.
He said France had acted according to its “humanitarian duty”.
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