Post date: Aug 19, 2012 12:35:8 PM
A coastguard official said 231 people from Sub Saharan Africa, who were travelling on a 15 metre long wooden boat, had been rescued on Saturday (August 18). They included 33 women and four children.
Later on Saturday evening, the coastguard launched another rescue operation for 126 Tunisians who were on board a 10-metre long wooden boat, the official said, adding that they also included women and children.
Italian coastguard rescues more than 350 African migrants, bringing them ashore at Lampedusa.
AT SEA, NEAR LAMPEDUSA, ITALY (AUGUST 18, 2012) (GUARDIA COSTIERA HANDOUT) - The Italian coastguard rescued more than 350 African migrants off the small Italian island of Lampedusa, as they attempted to reach European shores on rickety wooden boats, officials told Reuters on Sunday (August 19).
The immigrants were taken to a reception centre on the island and are now going through an identification process and screening to see if they have rights to asylum, he said.
Last year Italy saw tens of thousands of refugees and would-be migrants arriving in Lampedusa during the upheavals in North Africa, setting off a crisis that threatened to overwhelm the tiny island, but the flow of migrants has eased this year.
Most immigrants risk the dangerous voyage in small, overcrowded fishing boats, and thousands have died as a result of harsh conditions at sea.