Italy backs down on three migrant ships, while fourth heads to Corsica

Migrants disembark from the German humanitarian ship Rise Above docked in the southern Italian port town of Reggio Calabria (AP)

A European humanitarian group has said its migrant rescue ship is heading towards the French island of Corsica in the hope that authorities will offer its 234 passengers a safe port, after Italy backed down and allowed migrants from three other rescue ships to disembark.

France has not yet publicly offered the Ocean Viking a safe port, but spokesman Francesco Creazzo of the SOS Mediterranee group said the Norwegian-flagged ship was hoping it would eventually do so, with the mayor of Marseille saying the port city would gladly take them in.