Italian coast guard rescues 339 migrants from boat in deteriorating weather conditions

Rome, Oct 25 (Agency) The Italian Coast Guard coordinated an operation to rescue 339 migrants from a fishing trawler, which departed from eastern Libya and was heading for Italy, the agency said in a statement on Monday. “Assistance was rendered to the ship, which left Tobruk and found itself in adverse weather conditions, changing towards a serious deterioration, off the coast of the city of Roccella [a municipality in Calabria, Italy],” the Italian Coast Guard said.

The operation took place on Saturday with the participation of a Romanian border police ship as part of a mission by the European Union’s external border management agency Frontex, and Italian Coast Guard vessels. The migrants were brought to the Italian port of Crotone. During the past weekend, more than 1,100 migrants were rescued off the Italian coast, half of whom were brought to shore by international non-governmental organizations. From January 1 to October 25, about 52,600 migrants arrived in the country by sea, according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior.