An Italian charity has taken more than 40 migrants to the island port of Lampedusa, ignoring orders not to, and forcing a new clash with hardline Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
Salvini initially said he would not let anyone off the boat, but after several hours his ministry said on Saturday the African migrants would disembark following a decision by the customs police to impound the vessel.
The ministry also said the crew, part of the Mediterranea non-governmental organisation, would be placed under investigation for abetting illegal immigration.
However, Mediterranea said in a tweet that only the captain - rather than the entire crew - was being investigated in connection with violating immigration laws.
Mediterranea's vessel, the Alex, docked in Lampedusa shortly before 5.30 pm on Saturday. It was escorted by Italian police units, and was packed with migrants on deck, wearing orange lifejackets.
It was not clear how many migrants were on board. Mediterranea said 41 in several tweets and statements, but Alessandra Sciurba, a spokeswoman, told dpa there were 46.
She said conditions on board were "horrific", with the migrants still wearing the gasoline-soaked clothes they had on when they were rescued off Libya on Thursday.
By making an unauthorised port entry, Mediterranea followed in the footsteps of German charity Sea-Watch, which ignored Italian police orders and took 40 migrants to Lampedusa on June 29.
The Italian charity said it acted out of a "state of necessity".
Mediterranea said its vessel has a legal capacity of just 18 people, but ended up hosting nearly 60 people, including the 40-plus migrants.
RAI public television, who had a journalist on the boat, said Alex had run out of water supplies and its toilets were no longer functioning.
The Italian government had asked Mediterranea to head to Malta, but the NGO said the 11-hour journey would have been too long and dangerous.
With Malta available, "I can't understand why these traffickers should decide where to go or not to go," Salvini said in Milan.
Mediterranea said it asked Malta permission for the migrants to be taken to Valletta port by a larger charity vessel, Open Arms, but Malta refused.
A separate plan would have been for the Italian navy to pick up the migrants from the Alex and take them to Valletta, but Italian defence ministry sources said this was nixed by Salvini's ministry.
Another NGO, Germany's Sea-Eye, wanted on Saturday to enter Lampedusa with its Alan Kurdi vessel and 65 migrants rescued a day earlier, but changed plans after the Mediterranea saga.
"In the evening, the #AlanKurdi changed its course towards Malta. We can not wait until the state of emergency prevails," Sea-Eye tweeted late Saturday.
Sea-Eye chairman Gorden Isler told dpa that he expected the Alan Kurdi to arrive in Malta on Sunday and that it could remain at sea with no outside help for no more than two to three days.
Last month Italy passed a decree, spearheaded by Salvini and his far-right League party, to issue hefty fines for migrant NGOs that trespass national waters.
The decree was first applied last week, when Sea-Watch forced its way into Lampedusa. Captain Carola Rackete was placed under house arrest, although this was revoked on Tuesday.
