1,200 migrants reach Italian shores

Boats carrying more than 1,200 migrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Monday.

Officials said over a dozen boatloads were intercepted by Italian coastguards and brought to the island, located closer to North African shores than to mainland Italy and a gateway into Europe.

Over the weekend, 41 migrants reached Malta by boat, including a pregnant women.

The Italian coast guard said it had rescued most of the migrants at sea after intercepting nearly 20 boats and was still searching for others but it could not confirm reports that up to 10 people had died during the attempted crossing.

This year's first wave of summer heat has brought with it relatively calm waters, prompting impoverished immigrants desperately seeking work in the European Union to set off in rubber rafts and wooden boats. Many do not survive the passage.

Italian media reported that 95 immigrants were saved from a large raft. The survivors told of as many as 10 who had died after a Tunisian fishing boat cut loose the tuna cages it was dragging and that several immigrants were clinging onto.

However, Italy's Foreign Ministry said it had not heard of the incident, which reportedly took place in international waters.