1,400 migrants saved from boats: Italian Coastguard

20, Jan 2018 | CJP Team

Reuters reported that around 1,400 migrants were saved from “overcrowded boats” near the coast of Libya, according to the Italian coastguard, which said that two bodies were also recovered. A statement said that Italy’s coastguard and finance police, the European Union’s anti-smuggling scheme Operation Sophia, and humanitarian bodies participated in 11 rescue operations, Reuters said. Thus far in 2018, 974 migrants have arrived in Italy via the sea, a significant reduction compared to the 2,393 who reached Italy during the same period in 2017. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), this year, 1,916 refugees and migrants have reached Europe by sea through January 14, down from the 3,046 who did so during a similar period in 2017.