ROME —Some 1,400 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean were rescued Thursday off the coast of Libya, according to the Italian coastguard, which coordinated the operations conducted mainly by aid ships. Attempts at the dangerous crossing are continuing despite worsening weather as winter approaches, with more than 2,400 migrants rescued off Libya in total since Sunday. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres tweeted that it had rescued 802 people on six rubber dinghies and one small wooden boat, and MOAS, a Maltese NGO, said it had rescued 432 migrants on three dinghies. Italian coastguards and the crew of an EU counter-trafficking vessel rescued the remaining migrants. According to the U.N., at least 3,654 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.

Source: Libya Today October 20, 2016 21:22 UTC