Italy rescues hundreds of migrants at sea, one found dead

[February 22, 2022]    ROME (Reuters) - The Italian coastguard rescued 573 migrants at sea who were trying to reach Europe aboard two fishing boats in distress in bad weather, a statement said on Tuesday. One body was found.

Migrants wait to be rescued by Italian coastguard during a search and rescue (SAR) operation off the coast of Italy, February 22, 2022, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. Italian Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS

The rescue operation took place off the southern Italian coast. Three coastguard units transferred the migrants to another vessel, which will bring them ashore at the port of Augusta in Sicily.

The migrants told the coastguard the body found was that of a migrant who had died several days earlier, the statement said.

The group of rescued migrants included 59 minors, many of them unaccompanied.

Italy has seen an increase in boat migrants in recent months with the government struggling to secure an agreement with European Union partners over how to deal with the influx.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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