Almost 700 migrants, including five dead bodies, were rescued on Saturday off the southern coast of Italy, a coastguard statement said on Sunday, as flows of migrants crossing the Mediterranean increase during favourable sea conditions. Most of the 674 migrants were found on a fishing boat 124 miles off the coast of Calabria, the boot of Italy. The migrants were transferred to port cities in Sicily and Calabria on Sunday morning, the statement added. Separately, on Saturday German NGO search and rescue ship Sea-Watch rescued over 400 migrants, including several young children and two pregnant woman, travelling on four overcrowded boats. According to Sea-Watch, flat seas and lack of wind have helped arrivals of migrants to the Italian coasts.

Source: Libya Today July 24, 2022 12:40 UTC