Malta rescues 216 migrants in upsurge of Mediterranean crossings
A Maltese armed forces patrol boat picked up more than
200 migrants from two dinghies in the Mediterranean and was bringing them to
Malta on Saturday, a spokesman said.
At least one pregnant woman and a number of
children were believed to be among the 216 rescued migrants. Their nationality
was not known.
An AFM spokesman said a patrol boat had been
deployed to a sinking dinghy south of Malta on Friday. After picking up the
migrants, it was diverted to a second dinghy while on its way to Malta, picking
up those migrants as well.
The armed forces said that with good weather
conditions prevailing, departures of migrants from Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria
had increased in the past two days, resulting in 12 migrant boats arriving in
Sicily, Sardinia, and Lampedusa.
The Libyan coast guard said on Friday it had
rescued 290 migrants from inflatable rafts near the capital Tripoli.