Italy rescues latest tidal wave of migrants

– More than 3 400 migrants were rescued at sea on Saturday, mainly off Libya, as Europe seeks ways to deal with the flood of people trying to reach its shores following a series of deadly shipwrecks.

A total of 3 427 people were picked up during the operation coordinated by the Italian coastguard.

French patrol boat Commandant Birot, which was sent to boost EU patrols to deal with the influx of migrant boats in the Mediterranean, picked up 217 people off the coast of Libya.

Hundreds of migrants, mostly African but also many

Rome

Syrians escaping the war, land every day on the Italian coast after being rescued by the Italian navy or coastguard.

European leaders at an extraordinary summit on April 23 agreed to strengthen the EU presence at sea in a bid to halt the tidal wave of refugees trying to reach Europe.

They decided to triple funding for the Triton operation, run by the Frontex border agency, which was previously €3 million a month. Triton was launched in November 2014 to supplant the more ambitious Italian “Mare Nostrum” (“Our Sea”) rescue operation launched a year earlier.

The EU is also seeking UN support to combat the smugglers who thrive on the chaotic situation in Libya.

Intervention is complicated by the situation in the North African country where two governments and parliaments are vying for power. – AFP