Italy prevents migrants from landing in Sicily

Milan (Italy) 

Italian authorities prevented a rescue boat with some 700 migrants aboard from landing in Sicily because there was no room for the people in reception centres, a humanitarian group said Friday. 

Despite lengthy discussions with Italian authorities the migrants on a boat operated by medical charity Doctors Without Borders, were turned away due to a "lack of capacity in the Italian (migrant) reception system," said a statement from the group.  

The boat is now heading for the port of Reggio Calabria on the far southern tip of Italy with hopes to land on early Saturday.

Italy is struggling to host more than 80,000 migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean fleeing war, persecution or poverty in the Middle East and Africa. 

Italian authorities gave permission Thursday for some of the migrants on the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) boat to disembark at the Sicilian town of Trapani, but the charity rejected that idea due to tensions aboard the overcrowded vessel.

In the end just seven people  all in need of urgent medical attention -- and their families were let off the boat.

The president of MSF's Italian operation, Loris De Filippi, said the "lack of preparation in the Italian system has very concrete consequences that we witness first hand."