80 migrants rescued off Libya coast, Italy bans ship

The rescue of the migrants took place outside of Italy's search and rescue zone and Rome called on Norway to find a safe port for those on board the Ocean Viking.

Libyan Coast:A ship operated by the humanitarian group SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders has rescued more than 80 migrants from a rubber dinghy off Libya.

Doctors Without Borders on Friday said that the migrants were in distress, and posted pictures showing that migrants were being ferried to the Norwegian-flagged rescue ship Ocean Viking aboard an orange dinghy.

A hotline for migrants run by a network of activists said that it alerted the boat off Libya's coast carrying migrants, including five women and four children, and informed both authorities and the Ocean Viking.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who has triggered a government crisis in Italy, on Friday signed a ban on the ship's entry into Italian waters.

In a letter sent to the Norwegian embassy in Italy, the government said that the rescue of the migrants took place outside of Italy's search and rescue zone and called on Norway to find a safe port for those on board the Ocean Viking.

Under a new government decree, the ship would risk one million-euro fine if it enters Italian waters.