More Than 3,300 Migrants Rescued In The Med

More than 3,300 migrants adrift on boats in the Mediterranean have been rescued by Italian coastguard and navy ships.

The rescues involved migrants on 25 rubber dinghies and one boat. 

The Italian navy says Libya-based smugglers have been exploiting a spell of good weather and calm seas to launch boats full of migrants toward Italian shores.

The Italian navy said one man was found dead on one of the boats

The migrants were picked up in an area 35 miles (55 kilometres) north of the Libyan coastal town of Sabratha. 

Last week, thousands of migrants were rescued off Libya, including around 5,000 in one day, after a period of rough seas had prevented the smugglers from launching boats from North Africa.

Most of the recently rescued migrants are thought to have come from countries in West Africa, including Ghana, Liberia, and Guinea.

A spokesperson for the Italian navy said one adult was found dead while another four injured migrants were flown by helicopter to a hospital on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The migrants have been taken to ports in southern Italy. It is not yet known if they will be able to stay in Europe.

More than 66,000 migrants, mostly from Africa, have arrived in Italy since the beginning of 2016, according to figures compiled by the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR.

The International Organisation for Migration said more than 3,700 migrants died in the Mediterranean last year.

The UNHCR says that Libya already has at least 100,000 migrants, who are packed into towns and cities along its western coast.

A year ago, Europe promised firm action on Libya after 800 migrants were drowned when their overcrowded boat sank off Italy.

Operation Sophia was created as a result, with a dozen naval craft patrolling off Libya’s coast.

The operation saw a dramatic increase in rescues, although some critics said smugglers were using this naval force as a “ferry service”.

Officials have impounded many boats used by smugglers, but that operation is undermined because the gangs import more craft from Europe.

Late last year Maltese customs found 20 semi-rigid boats aboard a ship heading for Libya, but no action was taken because they did not have the powers to seize the consignment.