ROME (Reuters) -Italy has grounded a reconnaissance plane used by a German migrant rescue charity, in the first use of tighter regulations for such aircraft, the NGO said.

The National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) confirmed on Friday that the Sea-Watch group’s Seabird 1 plane had been placed under administrative detention.

It said it acted after being informed by the Italian coastguard that the Seabird 1’s pilot had failed to notify relevant authorities about an emergency situation at sea.

Sea-Watch called the aircraft’s detention “a new escalation in the Italian government’s fight against civilian human rights observation in the Mediterranean”.

Italy has temporarily halted dozens of charity rescue vessels, and last year passed a decree allowing similar measures against charity-oper

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