Italy’s coastguard rescues scores of migrants off Libyan coast

The Italian coastguard said eight migrants died after their dinghy got into trouble while trying to cross from Libya to Europe.

Dramatic video footage has been released by the service showing a rescue operation in which a further 84 people were pulled to safety, euronews.com wrote.

Authorities said the migrants’ vessel was spotted by a plane patrolling the seas off the Libyan coast on Saturday morning.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants have fled conflict or poverty at home and are now trapped in the north African state where they often face dire conditions, abuse and forced labor.

Most hope to pay people smugglers for passage to Europe via Italy.

In late December the United Nations began bringing African refugees to Italy from Libya, evacuating them from detention centers whose conditions have been condemned by humanitarian groups as inhumane.

Nigeria, whose citizens make up most of the African migrants, is beginning a mass evacuation program for all those who want to return home. Up to 800 Nigerians are expected to be evacuated from the Libyan capital.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has in recent months accelerated a “voluntary returns” program to repatriate migrants from a number of countries.