More than 2,000 asylum seekers trying to reach Europe were plucked from the Mediterranean on Friday in a series of dramatic rescues. An Italian coast guard spokesman said 19 rescue operations by the coast guard or ships operated by non-governmental organisations had saved a total of 2,074 people on 16 overcrowded rubber dinghies and three small wooden boats. The rest of the asylum seekers were picked up by the coast guard, the Phoenix - run by the Maltese Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) - the German NGO Sea Eye and the German Jugend's Iuventa. According to the International Organisation for Migration, nearly 32,000 asylum seekers arrived in Europe by sea so far this year. "How many people would have crossed if we weren't there today, Frontex?

Source: The North Africa Journal April 14, 2017 21:33 UTC