Immigrants from Africa to Italy on a boat. Photo: AP
(VOVworld)- Nearly 1000 illegal immigrants tried to cross the sea towards Italy on Tuesday alone, raising the number of people saved in the last 4 days to 5000.
The Italian Coast Guard and Navy and EU rescue forces saved 646 people on 2 migrant boats off Italy’s Sicily island. A patrol boat from the Icelandic Coast Guard saved another 328 people, who were mainly from Libya, Sudan, and Eritrea during Joint Operation Triton, and brought them to the port of Messina on the island of Sicily.
Survivors said they had been floating in the sea for 12 days, starved and exhausted. Two from Tunisia were arrested and charged with conducting illegal crossings to Italy.