Around 630 migrants were rescued from two boats in the Mediterranean in the early hours of Tuesday (February 21), Italy’s coast guard said, releasing video of one of the rescue operations.
The migrants were rescued in two separate operations, the coast guard said in a statement.
One group was travelling on a wooden vessel while the other group of migrants was rescued from a rubber boat, the coast guard said.
No details of the migrants’ origin, gender or age were immediately available.
Last year a record 181,000 migrants crossed between Libya and Italy. More than 4,500 are known to have died.
Having largely closed off sea crossings between Turkey and Greece last year, the European Union is searching for ways to stem the flow of migrants from Libya.
This month European leaders offered Libya money and other assistance to try to reduce the numbers departing across the Mediterranean. Aid groups criticized the move, saying such plans exposed migrants to further risks and abuses within Libya.
(REUTERS)