Rescue ship Alan Kurdi anchors off Sardina in bad weather

Over 100 migrants rescued at sea were allowed to disembark in Italy on Thursday, according to a statement from the country's interior ministry.

The rescue ship Alan Kurdi anchored off the coast of Sardinia Thursday morning, taking temporary shelter due to expected bad weather.

The Sea-Eye rescue organization said the vessel had carried out three operations between Sept. 19 and 20 off the coast of Libya, rescuing 133 migrants.

Immediately after the interventions, crew members say they contacted the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers of Italy, Malta, Germany and France, as well as the German Foreign Ministry, asking for a safe port, but they received no response.

On Tuesday, the Italian coast guard evacuated eight people, among them five children, for medical reasons.

Following the evacuation, the Alan Kurdi set course for France, towards its original port of destination in Marseille, but was stopped by bad weather forecasts.

The Italian interior ministry said Thursday it had received a request from the crew to allow the remaining 125 migrants on board to disembark.

The government authorized the request.

According to the statement, 80% of the migrants will be transferred to other European countries.