France to let migrant rescue ship dock as it criticises Italy’s refusal to help

Ocean Viking will bring 234 people to Toulon amid deepening row with Rome over Mediterranean rescues

France is to open its southern port of Toulon to a charity-operated ship carrying hundreds of asylum seekers rescued from the central Mediterranean, saying it is an exceptional" move and criticising Italy's new far-right government for its incomprehensible" refusal to help the vessel.

The Ocean Viking rescue ship, operated by the European charity SOS Mediterranee under a Norwegian flag, and whose 234 passengers include 57 children, is facing deteriorating sanitary conditions after Italy refused to give it a safe port for more than two weeks despite its presence in Italian waters.