January 2, 2014 -- Updated 1404 GMT (2204 HKT)
More than 200 migrants have been rescued from an overcrowded boat at
risk of sinking in rough waters in the Mediterranean Sea, the Italian
navy said Thursday. FULL STORY
January 2, 2014 -- Updated 1411 GMT (2211 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Italian navy rescues 233 migrants from an overcrowded boat in high seas
- They were spotted about 80 miles south of Italy's Lampedusa island
- The migrants are being taken to a port on the Italian island of Sicily, the navy says
- Tens of thousands embark on the risky crossing each year in the hope of reaching EU soil
The alarm was raised on
the evening of New Year's Day, when the boat was spotted about 80 miles
south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The boat, which measured only 10 meters long (33 feet), was carrying 233 people without life jackets, the navy statement said.
Given the rough seas and
the boat's "precarious state of buoyancy," the decision was made to
transfer the 233 people, seven of them women, to a navy ship, the San
Marco. All were safely recovered, the statement said.
Patrolling the 'Sea of Death'
African migrants' perilous route
Video shows naked migrants being hosed
The migrants, from Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Pakistan, Zambia and Mali, were all moved safely, the statement said.
After being transferred
to a frigate, the migrants will be taken to the port of Augusta, on the
Italian island of Sicily, where they are expected to arrive Thursday
evening, it said.
As the closest Italian
island to Africa, Lampedusa is a frequent destination for refugees
seeking to enter European Union countries and shipwrecks off its shores
are common.
Many of the migrants are from African nations, while others have fled war-torn Syria.
Sea of death
More than 300 African
migrants died in October after their ship sank off the island's shores.
Days later, another 34 people died when their boat capsized.
Tens of thousands of people are rescued each year from the Mediterranean, according to the European Union border agency, Frontex.
Smugglers often pack migrants into unseaworthy, ill-equipped and overcrowded boats, adding to the dangers of the journey.
Between January and
September last year, 31,000 migrants are believed to have entered the
European Union illegally by crossing the Mediterranean to land on
Italian soil or the island of Malta, Frontex said.
Journalist Livia Borghese contributed to this report.
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