ROME, Jan. 3 (UPI) —
The Italian navy rescued more than 800 migrants on four boats south of the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa Friday, officials said.
The boats, found in the Sicilian Channel, carried 823 asylum-seekers, including 23 women and 46 children, ANSA reported.
The migrants’ nationalities were not immediately known.
Lampedusa, part of Italy, is one of the southernmost European islands in the Mediterranean and a favored landing spot for migrants from North Africa and the Middle East.
About 400 migrants died after their boats capsized in October. Italy then launched a major search-and-rescue operation in the region, ANSA said.
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