Rescue ship gets OK to bring 438 rescued migrants to Italy

ROME (AP) — A humanitarian organization’s maritime rescue ship is sailing to the Italian mainland to disembark 438 migrants who were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. German charity Sea-Watch said the ship was expected to reach Taranto port in Puglia, the region that forms the “heel” of the Italian peninsula, by Saturday. The charity appealed for several days for permission to take the passengers to Italy, saying they were sweltering in temperatures that reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 F). Italian authorities gave the OK on Thursday evening. Smugglers in Libya have launched multiple boats, generally in unseaworthy condition, toward Italy during a long spell of good weather. Many migrants reach tiny Lampedusa island south of Sicily.