Two merchant vessels and an Italian coast guard ship went to the rescue of more than 600 migrants who sent emergency calls for help from their packed rubber boats near the Libyan coast on Saturday.
The rescue operation is the second of its kind in two days, and closely follows the deaths this month of more than 300 people who were trying to make the crossing to Europe.
The Italian coast guard in Rome said the rescue vessels located six boats drifting about 80km from the coast of Libya, after receiving calls for help by satellite telephone.
Photo: Reuters
The coast guard ship Peluso has started the rescue operation, a spokesman for the coast guard said, a day after about 700 other migrants were plucked from overcrowded boats.
An improvement in the weather last week encouraged migrants to make the perilous journey from North Africa, which the UN refugee agency says claimed 3,500 lives last year.
The deaths earlier this month reignited criticism of Italy’s decision to close its full-scale search-and-rescue mission last year.
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