Italian Navy Finds 4 Dead Migrants, Rescues 700 Others from Six Boats

The Italian navy said over 700 migrants have been rescued from six boats on waters between Sicily and Tunisia on Tuesday, but four others were found dead.

The navy said one of its ships was dispatched to help three vessels and managed to rescue 403 survivors. It also recovered four bodies. Another ship rescued 219 migrants from two boats and a third coordinated the rescue operation for 105 migrants from their sinking vessel. However, the navy did not mention the nationalities of the migrants.

More than 400 migrants have perished in the Mediterranean so far this year, as people try to reach Europe in spite of harsh winter weather in the second year of the biggest migration crisis in the region since World War II.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said over 110,000 people, many trying to flee from war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, have arrived in Greece and Italy this year, marking a significant increase when compared to figures last year.

Bad weather reduced the number of migrants and refugees arriving last month in Greece, but the number was still almost 40 times higher than in January of 2015.

Majority were from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, while most of those who gained access to Europe via Italy were Nigerian.
 [ubalert.com]
23/2/16
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