Roughly 1,300 migrants were
ushered to safety at the merchant port of Taranto on Monday
after being rescued at sea off the southern coast of Italy on
Sunday.
Authorities said most of the men, women and children on
board were refugees from Syria and Sudan.
It was the largest of two migrant landings off Italy's
southern coast on Monday, as warmer weather and calmer seas tend
to see an increase in migrant traffic to Italy.
In southeastern Sicily, some 211 migrants of unknown origin
were recovered at the port of Pozzallo, where the night before
some 102 migrants were recovered along with the bodies of three
people who drowned after their raft collided with a merchant
ship. Two people were still missing.
Also on Monday, some 529 migrants recovered in various
operations over the past few days were being transferred to
Palermo.
On Friday, the Italian Navy said it had saved over 2,500
migrants at sea in 24 hours.
In each rescue, migrants were saved as part of the the Mare
Nostrum (Our Sea) Rescue Operation that Italy launched after
around 400 people were killed on two migrant-boat disasters in
October.
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