Italy rescues thousands of migrants in Med in huge weekend operation
Almost 6,800 people rescued off the coast of Libya on Saturday and Sunday in more than a dozen separate operations led by the Italian navy
The Italian coastguard has coordinated one of its largest rescue operations to date, saving almost 6,800 since Friday as smugglers took advantage of calm seas to send migrants across the Mediterranean.
A total of 3,690 migrants were rescued from seven wooden boats and nine rubber dinghies off the coast of Libya on Saturday, in 16 separate operations, with a further 2,861 rescued on Sunday and 220 on Friday. Some of the overcrowded boats would usually have a capacity of less than 20 passengers, a coastguard source said.
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