
Mediterranean Sea: Italian Coast Guard picks up 4,400 refugees and migrants
Around 4,400 refugees and migrants were picked up by the Italian Coast Guard in Mediterranean waters, Saturday. The refugees and migrants were travelling aboard rafts and boats that were found in distress off the coast of Libya. A total of 22 operations were carried out to transfer the migrants aboard Coast Guard vessels for onward transportation to ports in Italy.
Over 100,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean and landed on European shores in 2015 alone, with southern Europe seeing the majority of arrivals. Italy is currently host to an estimated 54,000 new arrivals, a number rivalled only by the 48,000 migrants who have arrived in Greece this year.
At least 1,866 migrants are believed to have died crossing the Mediterranean between January and June 2015.

Around 4,400 refugees and migrants were picked up by the Italian Coast Guard in Mediterranean waters, Saturday. The refugees and migrants were travelling aboard rafts and boats that were found in distress off the coast of Libya. A total of 22 operations were carried out to transfer the migrants aboard Coast Guard vessels for onward transportation to ports in Italy.
Over 100,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean and landed on European shores in 2015 alone, with southern Europe seeing the majority of arrivals. Italy is currently host to an estimated 54,000 new arrivals, a number rivalled only by the 48,000 migrants who have arrived in Greece this year.
At least 1,866 migrants are believed to have died crossing the Mediterranean between January and June 2015.