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THE Italian navy announced today morning that it had rescued more than 2,500 men, women and children from the Mediterranean since early yesterday.
Navy and coastguard ships monitoring the waters off the Libyan and Tunisian coasts went to the aid of 17 different boats over the period and rescue efforts were continuing.
One ship, the San Giorgio, took aboard 998 migrants, including 214 women and 157 children, from five different vessels, the navy said.
Italy set up Europe’s biggest search and rescue mission almost eight months ago after 366 migrants fleeing African countries drowned when their boat capsized a mile from Sicily.
The number of boat migrants who have reached Italy this year has already topped the more than 40,000 seen during 2013.
Italy has repeatedly asked other European Union countries to help the patrol, but only Slovenia has chipped in, offering one ship for two months late last year.
