Congolese children are welcomed by their Italian adoptive relatives as they disembark after landing from Kinshasa, at Ciampino's military airport, on the outskirts of Rome, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. The children ran excitedly into their parents' arms after an overnight flight from Congo. Italy had worked since late last year to allow them to reach Italy. Congo had suspended all international adoptions citing fears some adopted children might later have been trafficked. None of the allegations involved adoptions by Italians. The parents were forced to leave Congo without their children after their visas expired. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
May 28, 2014 - 2:47 AM
ROME - Thirty-one children who had been blocked from leaving Congo months with their adoptive parents have arrived in Rome for a joyful reunion with their new families.
The children ran excitedly into their parents' arms at Ciampino airport Wednesday after an overnight flight from Congo. The Italian government had worked since late last year to allow them to reach Italy.
Congo had suspended all international adoptions citing fears some adopted children might later have been trafficked. None of the allegations involved adoptions by Italians.
Maria Elena Boschi, an Italian minister who flew with the children from Congo, said "they went crazy when, from the plane's windows, they spotted their parents" waiting on the tarmac.
The parents were forced to leave Congo without their adopted children after their visas expired.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014