https://www.thelocal.it/20170527/hundreds-of-migrants-rescued-in-major-operation-off-libya
Hundreds of migrants rescued in major operation off Libya
More than 50,000 migrants have landed on Italian coasts since the beginning of this year, not counting those rescued in recent days, while more than 1,400 have drowned or are missing, according to UN figures.
Of the 181,000 migrants who entered Italy last year, some 90 percent arrived via Libya.
The North African country has long been a stepping stone for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.
Around 6,400 migrants were picked up on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, thousands of whom disembarked at ports in southern Italy on Friday.
At least 35 people drowned on Wednesday when a powerful wave struck their vessel, pitching them into the sea, as a rescue ship was distributing life jackets.
Smugglers have stepped up their lucrative business in the chaos which has engulfed Libya since its 2011 revolution.
Libya has urged Europe, and particularly Italy, to supply its coastguard with the equipment it says it needs to monitor its southern borders, through which migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African, enter the country.