The Italian Navy on Wednesday said that it was busy rescuing about 1,000 migrants from six vessels that were spotted trying to cross the Mediterranean.
In a statement, Italian authorities said that 228 men were picked up from two rubber dinghies that were at risk of sinking, while rescue operations for other migrants were still ongoing.
Tens of thousands of people from Africa, the Middle East and Asia set off across the Mediterranean each year, searching for a better life in the EU after fleeing conflict or poverty.
Italy is a key transit country for them.
In October 2013, Rome authorities stepped up sea patrols after two shipwrecks, one off Lampedusa Island, Italy’s southern outpost and another in Maltese waters.
At least 400 people died in the two accidents, the most serious in recent European history.
copyright: NAN
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