Germany to accept 50 rescued migrants

France and Malta have also agreed to take 50 migrants each after two ships - one operated by EU border agency Frontex and a vessel owned by Italy's tax police - picked up the migrants near the Italian island of Linosa, more than 100 nautical miles of Malta.

Other EU countries were set to follow after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte sent letters to the heads of state and government of the 27 other EU members asking them to share responsibility with Rome for the migrants, who had sailed from Libya.