Hundreds of migrants rescued

Naval vessels from Italy and Ireland rescued hundreds of migrants, including children, from smuggler boats in the Mediterranean, as ships from several countries, including Britain, coped with waves of people setting sail from Libya in humantrafficking operations.

The Italian navy ship Driade rescued 560 migrants in an hours-long operation after a boat ran into problems, the navy said.

An Irish naval vessel, LE Eithne, rescued 310 people on a barge 30 miles north of the Libyan coast, the Irish Defense Forces said.

The British warship Bulwark was also assigned to help, the British Defense Ministry said. Two British helicopters helped pinpoint migrant boats in distress.