Italian coastguard rescues thousands of refugees

Nearly 4,700 refugees have been rescued off the coast of Libya, as they tried to reach Europe but one woman was found dead, Italy's coastguard said. The rescues operation were carried out by vessels from the Italian coastguard and navy, humanitarian agency Doctors Without Borders, the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station.
The coastguard said in a statement issued Saturday that it had coordinated 20 rescue operations involving numerous vessels which picked up 4,343 migrants from rubber boats and barges.
In one of the inflatable boats a woman's body was found, the coastguard said, without specifying the possible cause of death.
Another 335 people were picked up as part of a rescue mission coordinated by Greece and were being directed to a port in Italy to disembark, according to Al Jazeera.


--Samir--