Eight die in smuggling mission

At least eight migrants died and 86 others were rescued on Saturday from a smugglers’ rubber dinghy after it starting sinking in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya.

The Italian coastguard, which coordinates rescues in international waters off Libya’s coast, said an aircraft on patrol for a European anti-smuggling operation had spotted the dinghy.

A spokesman said all eight victims were female and survivors told rescuers that roughly 150 migrants were aboard when the dinghy set off from Libya.

Proactiva Open Arms, a Spanish humanitarian group, said some migrants had spent hours in the water before being saved.

Some 119,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2017 after being rescued in the Mediterranean.