Italy rescues 6500 migrants in Mediterranean

Italy: About 6,500 migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast in 40 separate rescue missions, in one of the largest inundations of refugees in a single day so far this year. Most of the migrants were believed to be Africans, said the Italian coastguard.

The migrants were packed full on several dangerously unstable boats, many of them flimsy rubber dinghies.

According to data released by the International Organisation for Migration on Friday, about 105,000 migrants had reached Italy by boat so far in 2016, many of which setting sail from Libya.

Also an estimated 2,726 men, women and children trying to make the journey during the same period have died.

On Sunday August 28, another 1100 migrants were rescued from boats in the Strait of Sicily as they make effort to reach Europe, the coastguard said.