Half the children from humanitarian ship Ocean Viking have ‘fled French centres’

The humanitarian ship the Ocean Viking makes its way into the military base in Toulon, France (Daniel Cole/AP)

More than half the children who disembarked from the Ocean Viking migrant rescue ship last week have fled from migrant reception centres, French authorities said.

Some 26 of the 44 unaccompanied youngsters have escaped the facilities made available to them, the council of the southern French Var region said in a statement on Friday.