Italy: 1,700 migrants rescued off the Sicilian coast

Italy coordinates the rescue of almost 1,700 migrants on a dozen boats over the weekend, mainly from Syria and Eritrea, trying to reach Europe. Balmy spring weather and improved sea conditions see a new wave of refugees. Italian coast guards helped two merchant ships to bring migrants safely to Porto Empedocle, on Sicily’s coast, on Sunday (April 12), after rescuing them at sea in the Strait of Sicily. Refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa regularly risk the hazardous journey across the Mediterranean, often between Libya and Sicily, to reach the European Union. Around 3,500 are estimated to have drowned last year when more than 170,000 migrants managed to reach Italy by sea.
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