More than 1,500 migrants were
rescued Monday from at least seven vessels in the Mediterranean
Sea, Italian Coast Guard said.
Some four boats and three inflatable rafts were all in
distress, floating on sea waters about 40 miles off the Libyan
coast when search and rescue operations began.
The Fiorillo ship rescued 345 migrants while another 230
people on board the rubber dinghies were taken onboard by the
Phoenix.
The Irish ship Le Niamh - which has become well known in
recent days for numerous high-profile rescues - took on 125
migrants while the Italian Navy used its Fenice vessel to rescue
78 migrants.
Another ship was making its way towards two other migrant
boats crammed with more than 800 people.
Meanwhile, some 453 migrants, including 13 children, were
brought to shore Monday in the Sicilian of Pozzallo by the Coast
Guard ship Diciotti.
Some of the migrants, including four pregnant women and
three men with injuries, were taken to hospital.
While some in the group were accepted into the reception
centre of Pozzallo, others were transferred to migrants centres
in Sicily or sent further north on the Italian mainland.
Police said they detained two suspected human smugglers
from the group.
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